


All We Need Is Each Other

by TheFrugalMoogle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 07:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 69
Words: 42,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7524427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFrugalMoogle/pseuds/TheFrugalMoogle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the SNK Universe, Titan Shifter Eren finds that he always had a soft spot for Annie, so much so that he risks losing everything for her, and Annie finds a reason to enjoy this cruel life in Eren. Inspired by Queenzie, who wrote the first Ereannie fic I ever read. The story begins on the expedition where they first encountered the female titan, after a brief intro.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Backstory

(This will not contain any spoilers from the Manga and will be clean.)

My writing gets much better btw

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa made a commitment to join the Army after their village was destroyed by the titans. Eren holds nothing but hatred in his heart for the beasts. He wants to destroy them all and then explore the world beyond the walls with Armin. But first he has to become a killing machine.

(Fast Forward to boot camp)

"I will kill all the titans" Eren thought, as he went through his hand-to-hand combat drills. Then, something caught his eye.

It was a girl. She had brilliant, blonde hair, a sharp, endearing nose, and she was truly beautiful, but Eren was distracted by how fast she took down her opponent. All she needed to do was block his hook, then sweep his leg, and down he went.

Eren was stunned. "Hey, Armin, who's that girl over there?" Eren points. "I think her name is Annie." Armin replies.

"Yeager , is there any reason why you are just standing there?!" Shades yelled. "S-sorry sir!" Eren sputtered. "Not yet, you're not! Perhaps you should go join Sasha in some laps!"   
"Yes, Sir! Sorry Sir!

(Fast Forward again)

"So, I can turn into a titan, the beasts I hate the most. What does this mean? Am I still human? Dwelling on these things will only drive me insane. For now, I will use this power to destroy any and every titan that I come across!" Eren thought.

There's a scouting mission today. Captain Levi is giving the debriefing. Eren is sitting with Armin and Mikasa, who joined the survey corps to stay with Eren. He notices Annie, sitting alone, like usual. He can't put his finger on it, but she just has an aura about her that is different from everyone else. Like she is an outcast by choice. Like she's pushing everyone else away.

"She's certainly a mystery all right. But I need to focus on the mission at hand" Eren muses.


	2. The Expedition

Eren always gets excited before a mission. He longs for the moment when he crushes the nape of a titan's neck with his foot. For him, this isn't a scouting mission, this is a hunt.

Eren takes point in the convoy due to his ability, with Levi and Mikasa right behind, Armin is on the supply wagon tending to the gear.

A 5m titan walks in front of the convoy. Eren distracts it and Levi hops up a delivers a killing blow. "Easy enough, eh captain?" Eren laughs. "Stay focused" Levi snaps.

They get further along, dispatch a few more titans, and set up camp for the night.

In the morning, the convoy splits up to cover more ground. Levi takes the most experienced fighters with him, Eren and Mikasa included. Armin breaks off with another group. The supply wagon stays in the rear.

"I wish I was as strong as Eren or Mikasa, but I'll just have to do my best to support them!" Armin muses. His thoughts are interrupted by a dull, frequent, thudding sound. He turns his head to see a titan running towards him.

"ABNORMAL!" He yells. Prodding his horse to run as fast as it can. He sets off the flare to signal the rest of the survey corps.

Eren's heart starts pumping.   
"Finally, a chance to face a titan that will challenge me!" Eren's eyes light up in anticipation. He immediately jumps off of his horse and transforms. He takes off sprinting towards Armin's signal.

(I know these first chapters are short, they get MUCH longer, this was my first fic remember)


	3. The Confrontation

Eren emerges from the forest. He finds himself in a grassy clearing.

It's a bloodbath.

The abnormal destroyed Armin's group. "Where is he?" Eren panics. He sees a horse running towards him in the distance with the abnormal close behind. He runs up to face off with it.

He stops just before he steps on Armin and he runs between his legs. Eren now has a good view of the abnormal.

"A-a woman?" She seemed to be more muscle than flesh, with a kind of bone-like material covering the rest. "Are you like me? Is there someone hiding in your neck?" He wonders. "She's very pretty for a titan. NOW'S NOT THE TIME EREN!" He assumes a fighting stance and she follows suit.

"Ergh. She's a skilled fighter. Better than me." Eren thinks. He jabs her stomach and she doubles over. He goes for a left hook, but she evades with seemingly impossible speed and counters with a shot straight to the jaw.

He staggers back, and runs into the forest where the survey corps is waiting. "HA! She took the bait!" Eren thinks as she pursues him. As soon as she enters, Mikasa swoops down from the trees for a killing blow.

The abnormal moves her hand to the back of her neck. It becomes crystalline and deflects Mikasa's blow.

"What?" Armin's mind is racing, trying to think of what to do. He climbs up to Eren's shoulder and whispers something in his hear. He swings over to Mikasa and tells her the same thing.

Eren stands there and blocks the titan's blows while the rest of the survey corps try to get into position.

"NOW!" Armin yells!

Mikasa swings in again, going for the titan's neck. She moves her hand to defend her weakness. At that moment, Eren grabs her free hand and unleashes a powerful punch, rendering her stunned.

The rest of the survey corps fall upon her and start rendering her limbs useless.

"Yes, we won. Now it's time to see who you are."


	4. The Revelation

"Alright, I want to know who you are before I destroy you!" Eren bites the back of the titan's neck and rips off the flesh to reveal the person hidden underneath.

He stands there in stunned silence.

"W-what?! This can't be right!" Eren panics. Yet he could clearly see Annie there in the corpse of the titan.

Eren's mind begins to race. "But I thought you were on our side Annie! Why would you do this?"

"Why is Eren just standing there?" Armin asks Mikasa. She is silent.

"Is this the reason why I always felt she was different than the rest? Because she is like me? How many more of them are our enemies? How many more are hidden in our ranks? Dammit! There's too many unanswered questions!"

"Go take her into custody." Levi orders. "Hange will want to see this."

The Survey Corps starts advancing towards Annie.

"Are they going to kill her?? Or are they going to run experiments on her? She is the enemy, and yet, I don't want that to happen. Am I being naive because she too is a titan?"

Eren puts his hand over Annie's body. "Yeager! Move your hand!" Levi commands. The rest of the Survey Corps is getting closer.

"What do I do?? WHAT DO I DO?!?!" Quickly, Eren grabs Annie and begins running for into the forest, away from the Survey Corps which he pledged his allegiance to. Which he trained three years for.

"EREN!!!" Armin yells, distraught and worried for his friend. Mikasa begins to follow him in pursuit. "Stop, Ackerman, it's too dangerous. We've never been that far into the forest." Levi commands.

"What are you thinking Eren?" She wonders, as he leaves her field of view. "Please, don't leave me."


	5. The Defection

Annie stirs, and realizes that she is not alone. She sees the hulking figure of Eren, still in titan form leaning over her. She tries to move, but she finds herself unable to. She noticed the ropes around her arms and legs.

Eren picked her up, and pointed her towards a message written in the dirt.   
CUT ME FREE

He tugs at the rope with his fingers, loosening them, and allowing Annie to stand. He places a blade at her feet and kneels down, exposing his neck to her.

"Please, don't do anything stupid"

Everything goes black.

Eren wakes up to find Annie standing over him with the sword uncomfortably close to his neck. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Annie snarls. "Well, if you wanted to kill me, you would have done so already." Eren bluffs.

"Heh. I guess you're right. I owe you one even though your stupid ass got me caught in the first place, but it was bound to happen eventually." Annie smirks. They both sit down in front of the fire.

There's a silence for a few minutes, until Annie notices Eren shaking.

"I can't believe I ran away from the Survey Corps! That's an act of treason! Not to mention that I stole provisions from the supply convoy!" Eren is nearly hysterical.

"Why do you care about them so much? They don't see you as human, they think you're a freak." Annie's words bite into his heart. "Maybe so, but why would you kill them???" Eren cries.

"My father always told me to make the entire world my enemy." Annie replies.

"Am I your enemy?" Eren asks.

She thinks for a few seconds, then stares at the ground and mumbles.

"That remains yet to be seen..."


	6. The Preservation

Today marks the third day that Eren and Annie have spent in the woods. The supplies from the convoy are nearly depleted.

"That should put the finishing touches on our little shelter!" Eren beams with pride at the site of his log cabin. "Maybe you'll help out next time, eh Annie? These things would go much faster with TWO titans around!" Annie simply glares at him.   
"Haha... Okay. You don't have to..." Eren forces a laugh.

"Why haven't you ditched him yet Annie? Is it because you think you owe him? He is the enemy! But what makes you think that? He can get you killed! But still, there might be an advantage to keeping him around." The thought runs through her mind.

"Alright, now we need to go hunting in order to save the few remaining rations that I stole from the convoy." Eren says. "It should be easy enough to catch a deer with the speed we get as titans." Annie simply stares back. "C'mon! Whoever catches it gets first pick of the meat!" With that Eren bites the pad of his thumb and transforms.

"What is this fool boy doing? He can't possibly think we are friends. And yet, I have the urge to follow him on his stupid trip. Oh, to hell with it." Annie pricks her finger with the ring and runs to catch up with Eren.

1 HOUR LATER

"Haha! See, I told you!" Eren says, struggling to carry a fairly large buck across his shoulders. "We ran twice as fast as this thing, and with our height advantage, finding it was cake!"

"And I caught it too!" Eren smirks. "Yeah, we'll see how lucky you are next time titan-boy." Annie retorts. "Well, I better get the fire started so I can cook us some dinner!" Eren says, the anticipation clearly showing in his voice.

"Fine." Annie says. "And Eren?"

"Yes?"

"I call top bunk."

"DAMMIT!"


	7. The Competition

"Do you think we should try training in Titan form so we can handle whatever comes our way?" Eren asks. "Sure, I'd love the opportunity to drop you on the ground" Annie replies. "O-ok." Eren stutters. "Let's see what you got Titan-girl!" They transform.

They assume a fighting stance, and Eren goes for the first punch. Annie easily dodges it and launches a powerful right hook. Eren raises his arm to block it, and both Eren and Annie's arms are destroyed. They sit and wait until their arms regenerate, then get back to fighting. Eren starts again, going for a series of blows to Annie's stomach. Annie sits there and takes them, waiting for the right moment to counter. She finds it, fires a brutal uppercut, and sends Eren flying.

Eren is lying on the ground and sees Annie approaching him. She extends her hand to him. He grabs it and she helps him get up.

"Alright! I'm done screwing around!" Eren thinks, tired of getting knocked down.

Eren begins jabbing her stomach again, trying to bait another uppercut. She instead deals a powerful strike to his stomach. He doesn't flinch however, and grabs her arm. While she is struggling to get free, her sweeps her leg and she falls down.

Eren helps Annie up, and points to his neck, signifying that he wanted to go back to human form. She takes him out , and he returns the favor with the swords.

"How'd you get so good at fighting hand to hand anyway?" Annie asks. "Well, I've learned by watching the best." Eren states while looking at Annie.

"Ha, creep."

"Maybe so." He jests.

"Well it's time to hit the hay for tonight. You're gonna need it after that ass-whooping I gave you." Annie smirks.

"What?!? I totally won that!" Eren says.

"Sure you did, Titan-boy."


	8. The Intermission

"Why did you run, Eren? Why did you leave me all alone?" Mikasa thinks as she stares out of her window. "Mikasa, are you coming to lunch?" Armin shyly asks.

"No. I'll be fine."

"You haven't eaten more than a few loaves of bread since he left, and he's been gone for a week..."

"...Fine."

The spirit of the Survey Corps still hasn't recovered after losing their best hope of defeating the Titans. "Man, Hange just looks depressed. Sawney and Bean just aren't the same as Eren." Sasha says. "And those two really creep me out."

"Attention, everyone." Levi says. "An order has come down from the top." Everyone in the room is silent. "If either Eren or Annie show up, we are to kill them immediately."

"What?!??" Mikasa yells. "We should be looking for Eren, not hunting for him!"

"Know your place Ackerman. If Eren was loyal to the Survey Corps, he wouldn't have run off with someone who just murdered 5 soldiers." Levi states, his voice as cold as ice.

"Yes sir." Mikasa mutters, holding her emotions back. She wraps her scarf around her face and storms off.

"Mikasa, wait for me!" Armin calls out. They leave the dining hall. "I can't wait any longer, Armin, I have to go looking for him." Mikasa is holding back tears. "I know, I want to go looking for him too, but it's too dangerous." Armin pleads.

"What if she killed him, Armin? I have to find out."

"If she did, then there are only titans and her out there! Much too risky for one person, even if it is you. Besides, Eren is strong, we just have to have faith that he is alright. There is nothing we can do now."

"I can't stand this waiting around and doing nothing, Armin."

"I know, but if we leave there is no coming back, and we can't survive out there."

Upon hearing this, Mikasa runs to her room and slams the door.

As she lays on the bed, the tears begin to fall.

"What do I do, Eren? I'm lost without you."


	9. The Rumination

"I wonder how Mikasa is doing without me? Have they taken her prisoner because they think she is working with me to destroy humanity? I hope she doesn't do anything brash."

"Hey! What are you doing over there?" Annie asks.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Mikasa."

"What's the deal with you two?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question!"

"She's my sister. That's it."

"Ok, then." As Annie says this, Eren thinks he sees her smile ever so slightly.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Annie asks. "I was thinking we could go hunting." Eren replies. "But we are well stocked, we've got to have five days worth of food here." Annie says, confused. "I meant Titan hunting." "Oh" Annie mutters. "Are you okay with that?" Eren queries. "Yeah, they're just mindless beasts after all, and a danger to our safety." Annie affirms. "Ok, let's go."

Eren and Annie travel out to a lake in hopes of finding a titan. Eren is pleased to find three 5m titans stumbling around the lakeside. He runs up to one and punts it as hard as he can. Since his leg is destroyed, he hobbles back to Annie, and makes a gesture that says "Your turn." Annie smirks and runs up, and punts another one. It lands right on the one Eren kicked, killing both instantly. Eren grabs the last one and rips it apart. He lets out a roar.

Just then, a 10m titan appears out of the forest. He looks at Annie and she nods. They both run up to the titan and start destroying it. It really didn't stand a chance. Once it's dead, Eren holds up his hand for a high five, and Annie smacks his hand so hard that it starts smoking. Eren looks at his hand and Annie just starts walking home.

Back at the cabin, Eren proudly displays the titan's skull in the main room. Annie asks, "Why did you keep that?" "I never had room back at the barracks and I always wanted one." "Heh, weirdo." Annie chuckles.

"Maybe, but nevertheless, we did good today, partner." Eren says.

"Partners huh?" Annie ponders. "Yeah, I like that."

"We did do pretty well didn't we?"


	10. The Conversation

Eren and Annie are sitting by the fire, reminiscing about the past month they've spent in the wilderness.

"Yknow, I'm glad that I met you. It means a lot to know that there's someone so strong who has my back." Eren says.

"Yeah. I'm glad I finally have someone to call my friend." Annie smiles.

"I'm glad to have become your friend too, Annie. And I'm going to find a way to get us back into the city unharmed." Eren says.

"I don't know if I can go back. After spending all this time with you, I can't go back and look them in the eye after what I've done." A tear runs down Annie's face.

"Hey, now." Eren whispers as he wipes away the tear. "We'll just have to find some way to atone. Maybe we can continue killing the titans together."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Annie looks up and wipes the tear away. "We'll kill so many we're gonna have to keep score!" Eren chuckles. "No way I'm gonna let you win!" Annie boasts. "Yeah, we'll see about that." Eren retorts. "I don't see YOUR Titan skull above the fireplace!"

"You got me there." Annie laughs.

They sit silent for a few moments.

"The fire sure is nice, huh?" Annie asks. "Yeah, kinda makes me sleepy though." Eren answers.

Annie suddenly feels the mass that is Eren's head on her lap. She blushes at first, but then calms down and starts stroking his hair. He falls asleep within minutes.

"Goodnight, Eren." She whispers.


	11. The Reunion (Part 1)

"Annie, I need to get this letter to Mikasa and Armin to tell them I'm alright. I'll have to sneak into the city, and it'll be dangerous, so I want you to stay here." Eren asks.

"No way am I letting you do that alone." Annie says. "I've got your back, and you can't stop me from coming."

"Alright then. But I want you to be extra careful. Any sign of danger, and you run, ok?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever, let's get going already." Annie says as she puts on the cloak that Eren hands her. She grabs his arm and jerks him along to get him moving.

As soon as Eren sees the walls, he is hit with a sense of nostalgia. He misses Mikasa and Armin and all the comforts of home, but he knows that he can't go back, and focuses on not being detected.

"Ok, getting past Wall Maria will be easy. It's just titans, after all." Eren says. "Let's transform so we can get there faster." He proposes. "Ok, sure."

They begin running, making sure to remain out of sight from the sentries on Wall Rose, and taking out as many titans as they can.

"If I remember correctly, then each sentry should be about 200m apart, that should give us plenty of room to climb up the wall, unseen." Eren plots.

While Eren is planning, Annie jumps and grabs one of the sentries. He starts screaming, but she puts her finger on his mouth. Eren runs over in fear of what she is going to do. She looks at the guard, puts her finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet, then puts him down.

They transform back into humans and take his sword and 3d Maneuver Gear. Eren puts it on, grabs Annie by the waist, and flies to the top of Wall Rose.

"Ha, now for the hard part!"


	12. The Reunion (Part 2)

"Alright, Annie, we're gonna have to be extra sneaky going around here. We don't know how infamous we are yet." Eren whispers.

As soon as Eren finishes saying this, he turns and sees a wanted poster displaying their faces.

"Well, shit."

Eren sighs, "This is gonna be harder than I thought, cmon." They start weaving through the back alleys and streets. "Look." Annie points. "There's the barracks." "Good catch." Eren says. They start heading towards the back.

"Wait!" Eren warns. "It's lunch time in the barracks, we should find a better way in. Here, Armin's room is over here. We can climb through the window."

Armin walks into his room to find out pitch black, and feels a hand clasp over his mouth. His screams are muffled. He sees Annie emerge from the darkness and his eyes grow wide in fear.

"We're not here to hurt you. We don't have much time to talk." Eren whispers.

Upon hearing his friend speak, he relaxes. "We can't have anyone know we were here except for you and Mikasa, got it?" Eren asks. Armin nods. "Ok." He takes his hand away from Armin's mouth.

"Where have you been all this time?" Armin whispers. "That's not important, and we don't have a lot of time to explain. We just want you to know that we have no ill intentions for you all."

"We?" Armin mutters. "She killed people, Eren." "You think I don't know that?" Annie spits out. "It's ok, Annie, I've got this. Armin, she is on our side now. I need you to do some things for us, ok?"

"What are they?"

"We need some gas for the maneuver gear."

"But that's locked up tight in the Armory!"

"I know, and I hate that I have to ask you to do this, but you have a better chance of getting it than we do."

"I'll give it my best shot."

"Thank you, Armin."


	13. The Acquisition

A.K.A. The Reunion (Part 3)

"They've increased security since Eren ran away." Armin thinks. "I'll have to be extra stealthy." He uses his 3D Maneuver Gear to get up to the top of a building adjacent to the Armory, and makes his way to the window.  
He notices a bit of metal holding the two pieces of the window together. "Good thing I thought this would be locked!" Armin smiles, proud of his planning. He easily picks the lock, and drops down silently into the Armory.

Mikasa is walking down the hall in the barracks, about to retire for the night. She walks into her room and her heart stops temporarily. She runs, crying into Eren's arms. Annie stands there, unsure what to do.

"I was so worried!" She cries. "I know, and I'm sorry I ran like that. But it was the right call." Eren says. "How was it the right call?? The whole city wants to kill you!" Mikasa says through tears. "Yes, but we gained a powerful ally." Eren points to Annie.  
"What is she doing here??" Mikasa snarls. "...I'll wait outside then." Annie says as she exits. "She really is a good person, Mikasa. She wants to make things right." Eren pleads. "Maybe so, but not many will be too keen to believe that." Mikasa replies. "I know, and that's why we have to stay away from here." Eren says.

Mikasa is clearly upset. "Of course. I don't know what I was expecting to hear..." She thinks.

Armin makes his way towards the 3DMG gas, but ducks into side room to avoid a patrol. There, he grabs a loaf of bread, and stuffs it in his shirt. "Eren might want this." Once the coast is clear, he continues towards the fuel tanks. He reaches them, looks around to make sure no one is coming, and begins filling as many canisters as he can carry.

Annie is sitting on the roof of the barracks, looking across town, when suddenly, something catches her eye. "Oh shit!" She says.

Armin finishes filling up the canisters and slowly begins to sneak out. He almost reaches the door when he hears an alarm start to ring.

"I'm sorry, Eren, I failed you." Armin thinks.

He then notices that the guards are running away from the Armory.

"Eren!" Armin gasps. He immediately bolts off using his 3DMG towards the barracks.

"Eren!" Annie shouts as she bursts through the door. "That sentry we nabbed must have made it back! The guards are coming this way!"

"Eren!" Armin gasps as he climbs in through the window. "Here's the fuel!" "Thank you so much Armin! Mikasa, can I borrow your sword?" Eren asks. "Yes, take it! Go!"

"No time for goodbyes, Eren!" Annie yells as she raises her hand, showing her ring.


	14. The Escape

The guards surround the barracks. "Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhardt! Surrender yourself immediately, or we will be forced to resort to severe measures!" The Guard Captain calls.

There's no response.

"Alright men, storm the building!"  
As the soldiers are rushing in, the side of the barracks explodes. Annie stands in the rubble in Titan form. "Here, Mikasa!" Eren throws her the letter he wrote. "Read this when it's safe!"

Annie picks up Eren, puts him on her shoulders, and he uses the 3DMG to stand directly on the nape of her neck. "I won't let them hurt you, Annie!" She nods and begins to run through the city, towards the wall. Members of the Survey Corps start flying in from every direction, and Eren blocks all of their sword strikes. Annie reaches Wall Rose, and starts climbing.

Eren sees both Jean and Connie attach their 3DMG to the wall. "I can't stop both of them at once! Sorry about this, Jean, hope you make it!" Eren cuts the wire from Jean's gear, and he starts falling. Connie immediately changes course to catch him, and they both land safely. "Phew. We're almost to the top now."

Annie vaults over the top of Wall Rose, and lands with ground shaking force. She begins running again as soon as she gets back up, however.   
"We made it Annie! They probably won't follow us this far." Eren rejoices.

Just as he says this, Eren hears a scream.

"YEAGERRRRR!" Levi yells as he comes flying in to attack. "Oh, no" Eren worries. "No, I can do this! I HAVE to do this!" Every time Levi swings by, Eren deflects his blade. But on the fifth time around, Eren's sword breaks. "Annie, I'm gonna need you to defend your neck when I say 'now', ok?" She nods. 

Levi comes in for another strike. "I've got you now, Titan!" "NOW!" Eren yells as he jumps up. Annie moves her crystallized hand to her neck, and Levi's sword bounces off of it. Eren then lands, and jams his broken sword into Levi's 3DMG, making him lose control and forcing him to land.

At this moment, Eren turns around and notices Hange on Annie's shoulders. "Why is she unarmed?" Eren wonders. "How long have you been there?" Eren asks. "I got here the same time as Levi." Hange smiles.

"Ok, what do you want?"

"Well, I know fighting you would be a dumb idea, especially when I would be killing the two most interesting specimens I've ever seen in my life!" Hange's eyes light up as she says this.

"Typical Hange..." Eren smiles to himself.

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I noticed you guys didn't come here to kill anyone, so I'm assuming your hold no ill will towards us."

"That is not a false assumption..." Eren says, unsure of where she is going with this.

"So, what I'm going to ask my sound strange but..."

"CAN I LIVE WITH YOU GUYS?!"


	15. The Letter

"Taking part in the chase will only show my lack of will to attack Eren, so I should stay back. But I need something to occupy my thoughts or I will go crazy. I guess I should read this letter that Eren gave me now." Mikasa thinks as she turns the envelope over in her hands. She opens it up, and smiles at Eren's sloppy handwriting.

Mikasa,  
I don't want you to worry about me. We're doing fine. Having two titans is very advantageous. Please, don't come looking for us, however. It's far too dangerous for a normal human out here, even one as skilled as you. Besides, there could be more abnormals that we haven't seen yet. I care about you too much to have you in that kind of danger. I'll clean up the outside world and then you can come, ok?  
Love, your brother, Eren   
P.S. Tell Armin that the outside world is better than the books said it would be.

Mikasa is smiling after finishing the letter. She hides it under her mattress, and goes in the main hall to see the Survey Corps return from their attempt to kill Eren and Annie. She waits with baited breath, but remembers what Eren wrote in the letter and relaxes a little bit, sure that he made it out.

"Status Report!" Levi barks.

"Sir! The two titans escaped!" A lackey answers.

"I know that you imbecile! I was there! Were there any casualties?" He snaps.

"That's the strange part, sir. Everyone is reporting in. Except Hange, but we haven't found a body. At this point, it seems no one died."

"Are you serious??" Levi ponders this for a while. "Well, that's good then. But they should still be considered enemies of humanity. And we need to send out scouting missions for Hange at once."

"If I may, sir..." Jean speaks up. "When Eren cut my grappling line, he seemed to be aiming for the line directly, as if only to get us away from him."

"This does not change the fact that she killed five of my men." Levi says.

"Yes sir! Sorry Sir" Jean backs away.

Levi retreats to his quarters and begins to ponder the revelations brought to light today.

"What are you up to Yeager? And do you truly hold no evil intentions for us, or is this part of a larger scheme?"


	16. The Proposition

"WHAT?" Eren chokes. "You want to live with us? Like, outside the walls?"

"Yeah! I've always wanted to see the outside, and you're the only test subjects I'll ever need!"

"Yeah that's not creepy..." "You know, it's pretty dangerous out there." Eren warns. "I can handle myself, besides, I've got two, big, strong, titans protecting me." She hugs Annie's neck. "C'mon, please?!"

"Woah, why'd her eyes get all big and shiny all of a sudden? Her pupils are the size of a plate..."

"Fine, but you've gotta pull your weight." Eren makes this point clear. "You bet! This is gonna be fun!" Hange is clearly excited.

The trio reach their cabin in the forest. "Ooh! Can you let me cut her out?? Hange asks. "No. I don't trust you to know where to cut." Eren replies bluntly.

"Oh, cmon, Eren..." Hange says as she steps closer to Eren. She puts her arms around his shoulders. "Don't you remember how well I took care of you back when we had our little experiments?" At this moment, Annie picks Hange up and puts her a few yards away from Eren.

"Jealous, are we?" Hange snickers to herself. "Alright, I get the message. Go ahead and cut her out, Eren." Eren slices Annie's neck with surgical precision and pulls her out of her titan body.

"Sorry to tell you this Hange, but we only have two beds. We weren't exactly expecting company." Eren says. "Well, it would be improper for a man and a lady to sleep in the same bed, so I'll bunk with Annie tonight."

"Great..." Annie sighs. She climbs into bed with Hange following soon after.

"So, what's going on with you and Eren?" Hange whispers, because Eren is right below. Annie blushes, but it's dark so only she knows. "What do you mean?" Annie asks. "Oh, cmon, he rescued you at the cost of exile, you've been out here for a month, you moved me away when I touched him, you work REALLY well together as a team, and he obviously cares a lot about you. There's gotta be something going on. Spill it!" Hange probes. "I don't know what you're talking about." Annie responds.

"Ooh, fine! Don't tell me!" Hange pouts. "But I can't wait to start some experiments with someone new tomorrow! Sawney and Bean just wouldn't listen to me."

"Yeah, I can't wait..."


	17. Experimentation (Part 1)

"Alright you two!" Hange can barely contain her excitement. "Let's see if there is any difference between your titan forms!" Eren gives Annie that look you give when you know something isn't gonna be fun.

"Alright, first things first! None of you need to breathe right?" They shake their heads. "Perfect!" Now we find out if this is unique to you or all titans. "To the lake you guys told me about!" Hange struts off. Eren picks her up and places her so she is going in the right direction. "Thanks, dearie." She flirts.

They make their way to the lake. They sit around awhile waiting for a titan to appear. Hange gets impatient, "Eren, go get a runt for me." She commands. He begrudgingly stomps away.

A few minutes later, he comes back holding a 5m over his head.

"Alright! Into the drink he goes!" Hange says, eager to see the results. Eren places it in the water, and stands on its back, so it is fully submerged.   
Five minutes pass, and it's still thrashing.

"Alright, he obviously doesn't need to breathe, so pull him out. Let's run some tests on regeneration." Hange grins maliciously. "Alright, Eren, have a little fun, but don't go too crazy, ok?"

Eren starts by ripping off its leg. The steam comes immediately and the leg is back in minutes. "Alright, a little more this time." Hange asks.

"That's gonna cost you an arm and a leg, buddy." Eren shudders at his horrible pun as he tears away its two right appendages.

It takes a little longer for it to regenerate this time. "Fascinating, it seems to have trouble keeping up when it has more to regenerate. The real mystery however, is where is this matter coming from, if the titans do not digest what they eat? So many questions!" She turns to Eren, "Alright we're done with him now." He quickly dispatches the titan.

"Alright, now the not so fun part. I need to compare it to one of you. Any volunteers?" Eren raises his hand. "What am I getting myself into?" He asks himself. "Excellent!" Hange smiles. "Annie, will you do the honors?" Annie gives Eren a look as if to say, "Sorry about this" and places her hands on Eren's leg.

"Oh fu-" "AAAARRGGHH" Eren yells as Annie pulls his leg off. "Hmm, I guess you do feel pain after all. Oops." Eren's leg grows back after only one minute.

"Well, it appears you have heightened regenerative abilities! Fascinating!" Hange practically drools. "Think of the possibilities." Upon hearing this, Eren grabs Annie's hand and starts running back to the cabin.

"Hey wait!" Hange calls. "We still have to test Annie's crystal abilities!"


	18. Experimentation (Part 2)

"Alright guys, how about a little friendly competition to start us off today?" Hange is as peppy as ever. "The question I'm sure you both a dying to find out, 'Who is the strongest titan?'"

Hange brings the two of them to a remote field at the foot of a mountain range. "Ok, let's start off easy: Find a tree, and uproot it." The two complete the task as expected: without difficulty. "Ok, let's step it up a bit, shall we? Pick up that boulder, and raise it above your head."

Eren lets Annie go first. She positions herself in front of the boulder, bends her legs, puts her arms under it, and hoists it above herself in one fluid motion. Then she puts it down.

Eren saunters up to the boulder, crouches down, and grabs it in a bear hug. He then raises his arms above his head, and moves his hands so he has a better grip.

"Alright, now for the final test, let's see who can throw it the farthest." Eren gathers all of his strength and throws it a good 20 yards.

He struts away, sure that Annie can't beat his distance.

Annie walks over, picks it up, and chucks it a good 25 yards. Eren stands there with his mouth agape, shocked at her strength.

Annie returns his strut, but with even more pride. She pats him on the back as if to say, "Maybe next time."

"Well done, Annie!" Hange cheers. "For your prize, you get to be the subject of my next test!"

"How is that a prize?" Annie broods.

"Ok, we'll test the limits of your deliciously unique crystal abilities now." Hange trembles in anticipation. "Ok, show me how much of your body you can crystallize." Almost all of Annie's body slowly turns to crystal, save for her head.

"Fascinating!" Hange swoons. "Can you move?" Annie shakes her head. "I see, then it must work by super-hardening the muscle tissues. Once they become rigid, they are impossible to move."

Hange takes her sword and bashes it against Annie's arm. It bounces off as if it had hit stone. "Durability is very impressive. Makes up for the lack of mobility." Hange muses. "Eren, give it a try."

Eren walks up to her, looks her in the eyes, shrugs, and punches her straight in the abs. His fingers break and he shakes his hand. Annie decrystalizes and laughs. She grabs his hand and puts the bones back into place.

"Yeah, I think that's enough for today guys." Hange laughs nervously. "Let's get you home and let those fingers heal."


	19. The Sweetest Moments Are Fleeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt there were some missed opportunities in the early story, so I wrote a few prequels. This is one of them, you can see a sharp contrast in how my writing has changed hopefully.

"We're running low on firewood, and it looks like there's a storm coming." Hange delivers her forecast. 

"Well, should we go get some, your highness?" Eren questions sarcastically.

"Yes! That's a great idea." Hange ignores the sarcasm. "Let's get going. And you should probably shift so you can carry more." She bolts out the door of their cabin, and turns around to face it, waiting for the two to get outside.

Annie and Eren step outside and walk an ample distance from the cabin before shifting. Before Hange can make a move, Annie picks Hange up and places her on her shoulders.

"Alright! Onward!"

They walk two steps before finding the first tree, considering they ARE in the middle of a forest.

Eren's job is to uproot the trees, and Annie breaks them down into logs for the fireplace.

Eren walks over to the nearest tree, and places his legs on both sides. He squats down, wraps his arms around the trunk, and heaves, uprooting the tree.

He then hands it to Annie. She crystallizes her knee, and raises the tree above her. She brings it slamming down into her knee, breaking it in half. She proceeds to break it into smaller pieces through various methods, though most involve her hands.

They've got a big wood pile built up now, and even more clouds have rolled in from the east.

"Alright, we have a full supply now, but we can get a few more so we don't have to do this later."

Eren hands Annie another tree, but this time, her hand grabs the tree right on top of his.

*THUD*

She let go of the tree, and it slammed on her foot, but she wasn't worried about THAT.

"Oh God, he's gonna think I'm an idiot. I AM an idiot... Why did I react like that? I'm not twelve!" She panics as her mind races.

Eren turns around to see what happened. He looks at the tree on her foot, and then looks at her.

Their eyes meet.

"What do I do? What do I do???" Annie has no idea how she should handle this situation.

She finds herself staring into his eyes, and he staring into hers.

The snow starts to fall, turning a once simple moment into a surreal one. Their hair is blowing in the breeze and snow is flying in flurries around them, but their gaze doesn't change.

"OH NO! I am NOT dressed for this! Get me inside, and let's build a fire!" Hange bursts out into an uproar.

"She does NOT like the cold, or me, apparently, thanks for ruining the moment..." Annie is a little peeved.

Eren bends down to lift the tree off of Annie's foot. She rotates her ankle to make sure everything's alright. They help each other out of their titan forms and quickly get inside.

"It's r-r-really c-c-c-cold outside." Hange is huddled up under her blanket, shivering. "But I already brought some wood in while you two were dawdling."

"Well," Eren gives Annie a wink. "Let's get a fire started, shall we?"

\---------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ALL, and especially to one person, you know who you are. I revised the next chapter A Cold Winter's Night, so if you want to read that after this to have a nice, quasi-double chapter, feel free! And to all the single people out there, who are lonely today, I love you all, and hang in there.


	20. The Cold Winter Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is when I consider my writing to really start getting good.

Annie and Eren are sitting by the fire during the snowstorm that ensues.

"We've been out here for almost two months now." Eren says. "But funny enough, I don't miss the city."

"Why not?" Annie asks.

"Those walls are nothing more than a cage. We were just cattle and we never realized it. It's humiliating."

"Well, you realize it now, and you're finally living, as opposed to existing. Living like this, it reminds me of my old life in my village." Annie says. "Along with the weather. The way the snow glimmers on the ground..." She trails off.

"Do you miss it?" Eren asks.

"It was nice at times, but they made me do horrible things, and I can't go back if I abandon my mission." Annie smiles a sad smile. "But that's okay, because I enjoy being here with you." Her smile turns joyful.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. You look nicer when you smile." Eren says.

Hange is laying in her own bed, eavesdropping, and giggling like a fiend.

The fire starts to die down a little bit, and the room gets colder. Annie starts shivering. Eren grabs a blanket, and wraps it around her. She grabs his arm and pulls him into it as well. She nestles up close and feels the warmth radiating off of his body.

The snow storm stops, and the forest is covered in snow that is sparkling from the moonlight, like the stars that shine galaxies away or a diamond glimmering on the finger of a blushing bride.

"Wow, beautiful isn't it?" Annie asks.

"Yeah, it really is." Eren says.

But he wasn't looking outside.


	21. The Ambush

"Hey, let's go exploring and see what we can find." Eren says. "Ok!" Annie says, "Where do you wanna go?"   
"How about this: You point in a direction, and we go there?" Eren suggests. "Sounds good!" Annie ponders this for a little bit. "Hmmm. Let's go this way!" She grabs Eren's arm and drags him into the forest. "Have fun you two!" Hange calls out.

The two are walking through the woods, when they come across an old, destroyed village. They see the charred remains of thatch cottages, as well as the rubble that was no doubt created by the first titans when they appeared.

"I bet they all had happy lives." Eren says, the sadness easily detectable in his voice. "With families that they came home to after a simple job in the field." Annie turns to him and says, "Hey now, I'm supposed to be the sad one around here."

"Don't you say that! You will never be sad while I'm around. I'll make sure of that." Eren says. "C'mon, let's get out of this depressing place." He says as he pulls her back towards the forest.

They make their way back into the forest, when they hear a snapping sound. Eren turns around and finds the entirety of the Survey Corps surrounding them, excluding Armin and Mikasa, with swords dangerously close.

Before they can react, they feel shackles being placed on their wrists. "So, now that you can't transform," Levi says, "we can take you back to the city for a proper execution, after some vigorous interrogation, of course."

"But first, I'd like to get a few questions out of the way here, if you don't mind." Levi states as he puts his sword on Eren's throat. "Where is Hange?"

"She's with us, we haven't harmed her." Eren replies. "How do I know you're not lying to me?" Levi says. "You'll let us live anyway, because you don't know where she is and you're afraid we are holding her captive." Eren retorts coldly. "You're far too transparent, Levi."

"Don't you talk down to me you little brat!" Levi yells, "Maybe if I take off one of your legs it'll loosen your tongue. Don't worry, it'll grow back, right?"

At this moment, a ball lands at Levi's feet. He takes one look at it and screams, "EXPLOSIVE!" He runs back to the minimum safe distance. Eren and Annie get tripped up by their shackles however, and fall on the ground. They wait for the explosion.

All they hear is a sizzling sound as smoke fills the area, followed by a silhouette running up to them, raising a sword, and cutting the chains.

"Run!" Hange yells. He grabs them by their arms and pulls them up off the ground to get them moving.

"So long, Levi!" She laughs.

"Hange?" Levi is shocked at hearing the phantom voice.

They laugh all the way home.


	22. Departure

"How did you know we were in trouble, Hange?" Annie asks, when they are back home. "Well." She starts. "The Survey Corps isn't very subtle until they spot their target. At least not to a trained eye like mine." She winks.

"How about the smoke bombs?" Eren questions, "How'd you get those?"

"Oh, just a little something I concocted. I placed a little titan flesh in a vacuum, and then the fire breaks the seal. It's a mixture of smoke and steam." Hange begins going into further detail about the science behind it.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Eren whispers to Annie.

"No idea."

"Anyway, I hope that wasn't too technical for you two." Hange smiles. "No! No! Not at all!" Eren lies.

"Sure you do." Hange teases. "You're a fighter, not a scholar." "What's that supposed to mean?" Eren asks. "Don't worry about it." She laughs.

"Now for the sad part..." Hange sighs. "I need to go back to the city."

"WHAT?!?" Eren gasps.

"Yeah, Levi's a wreck when I'm gone for just a day, and I've been gone for about two weeks. I probably have some major work to do to get the Corps back up to shape." She chuckles, scratching her neck.

"We're gonna miss you." Eren says. "Not your experiments though. You can keep those."

"Awww..." Hange sighs. "I really enjoyed them, but if you say so. I've got plenty of valuable data to take back, regardless."

She walks up to Eren and gives him a hug. "I'll put in a good word with Levi for you guys once I get back, okay?"

"That would be wonderful! I'd rather avoid any more unwanted visitors." Eren replies.

Hange then walks up to Annie, hugs her, and whispers, "You take care of him, alright?" Annie whispers back, "You bet."

The three walk out of the cabin, and Hange says her final goodbye. The two wave her off as she walks back towards the city.


	23. Anomaly

Eren and Annie are patrolling the area around their cabin to eliminate any titan threat.

"Well, this makes about a 2 mile radius, and we still haven't seen a single one." Annie says.

"Yeah, but let's go a little father just to be safe, okay?" Eren suggests.

"Yeah, alright." Annie says.

They venture out a little further...

"SHH!" Eren suddenly hushes.

"What?"

"Did you hear that?" Eren asks.

"No, what?"

"It's a thudding sound, like footsteps."

"What do you want to do, then?" Annie whispers.

"Let's go check it out." Eren starts walking forward.

She grabs his arm. "Let's be careful about this, okay?" Annie warns.

"Yes. We'll be extra cautious." Eren promises.

They go further still, and come across a clearing. The remains of several trees can be seen. Eren takes a closer look.

"Hey, Annie, come look at this." Eren calls. She approaches the tree. "Look at this." He says. "It's a clean, diagonal cut. Most likely made by a sharp instrument of some sort."

"So what do you think that means, Eren?" She asks.

"Well, it can't have been made by a human, that's for sure." Eren hypothesizes.

"So, it's an abnormal, then." Annie presumes.

"Yes, we're in danger if it knows where we live. We'll have to stay vigilant." Eren warns.

"Alright, let's get back home." Annie says. "I don't like how exposed we are out here."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Eren agrees. "Who knows what's out there."

The two make their way back to the cabin. "Let's take turns guarding against any unwanted visitors." Eren says. "I'll start, and I'll wake you up if we need to fight."

"Okay." Annie replies. "Wake me up when you want to switch. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Eren responds.

"What are you? Who are you? Are you hostile? Do you know where we are?" The questions keep flooding into Eren's mind.

He kept watch the whole night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I welcome any and all constructive criticism, especially if you point out spelling errors.


	24. Vigilance

Annie wakes up to the sound of birds chirping in the forest. She looks out the window and sees the sun just starting to rise. She walks out and sees Eren, asleep on the roof.

"He must have kept watch all night. Stupid boy..." Annie thinks. "He should have woken me up."

She climbs up to the roof.

"Should I wake him up, or..."

She picks him up without waking him, and gets down from the roof. She goes back into the cabin.

"He probably needs some more sleep."

She closes the blinds, places him in his bed, and pulls the blankets over his body.

...

She pulls the blankets back.

"I'm still pretty tired, too. And the abnormal isn't stupid enough to attack during the daytime. A quick nap won't hurt."

She crawls into Eren's bed with him. She feels his warm breath hitting her forehead. She drapes her arm over his shoulder and buries her face in his chest. She focuses on his heartbeat, and drifts off to sleep.

Eren wakes up a few hours later, and is confused at his change in location.

"Wasn't I standing guard on the roof? How did I get here? Damn, did I fall asleep?"

Suddenly, he notices something warm on his chest. He sees a mass of blonde hair clinging to his shirt.

"Wha-"

He feels the blood rushing to his cheeks. Unsure of what to do, he pokes her face to wake her up.

"Nghh." Annie groans. "What is it?"

"Uh, h-hey there..." Eren stutters.

"Oh..." Annie says as she blushes also. "Well, this is what you get for standing watch the whole night." She grabs him tighter.

"Oh, al-alright." Eren replies.

They stay in bed for another hour.


	25. Homecoming

Meanwhile, back at the Survey Corps barracks...

Levi is brooding in his office, still upset at his failure of capturing the two fugitives and rescuing Hange, when all of a sudden...

*plop*

"What was that?" Levi jumps in his seat, startled. He gets up slowly, and looks around the room. He notices a pebbles in the ground. He draws his sword and rounds the corner out of his office.

"MMPH!" His yell is muffled as a hand clasps over his mouth and the sword is knocked from his hand. The hand is removed from his mouth and two arms wrap around his stomach.

"Hey there, Heichou!" A familiar voice calls.

"H-hange?" Levi gasps. He turns around and sees the glasses and that beaming smile looking at him. "How did you escape?" He asks.

"I didn't need to escape, silly! I was never being held captive!" She explains.

"What do you mean?" Levi is puzzled.

"I went to live with them on my own accord!" Hange grins.

"Why would you do that? You don't know how dangerous they are." Levi points out.

"Oh, please. They're just big softies." She rocks back and forth on her heels thinking of her "babies". "Besides, they're too preoccupied with each other to attack the city." She winks. "OH! And, I found out invaluable information on Titan physiology!"

"Well, that's good I guess. I'm just glad you're safe." He mumbles.

"Were you worried about me? That's so sweet!" She pinches his cheeks.

"Stop that!" He blushes. "So, what made you decide to come back?" He asks.

"Well, I figured you needed me to keep things running smoothly around here." She teases. "Despite your obsession with cleaning, a woman's touch is still needed around here."

"Things were going just fine thank you very much!" Levi retorts. "Anyway, it's time to let the rest of the Corps know that you're back."

"Alright then!" Hange says.

At that moment, a lightning bolt is called down to the Earth, just outside of Wall Rose...


	26. Dancing Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Prequel

"Eren?" Annie speaks up from the top bunk. She recalls what Hange told her.

"What?" Eren responds.

"How do you 'slow dance'?" She says these words slowly and carefully, as if they were foreign to her.

"It's pretty easy. Why?" Eren is curious.

"I don't know."

She knew exactly why.

"I just think it's something I should know how to do. Can you teach me?" She requests.

"'Something you should know'? What band out here will you dance to, and who would you dance with?" Eren is confused.

"You, obviously!" She snaps at Eren from her own embarrassment. "Are you gonna teach me or not?" Annie is indignant.

"Ok, ok, calm down!" Eren is hiding his amusement. "You're lucky my mother taught me, or we'd both be clueless."

"Well... Come here then..." Annie suddenly becomes very shy, thinking about dancing with Eren.

"So, typically, the guy will place his hand on the girls lower back, or her hip." Eren explains.

Annie feels his hand on her back as well as her heart nearly jump into her throat.

"And then you can either hold hands with the remaining one, like a waltz, or I could put my other hand on your back." He chooses the latter. Her heart jumps again.

"What do I do?" She asks, with her arms dangling uselessly at her sides.

"In this scenario, you put your arms around my neck, like this." He takes her hands, and brings them around his neck, then returns his to her back.

"Alright, after this, it's simple. Just follow my lead, and STEP."

Eren leads her as they sway across the room. There seems to be something off, however.

No music.

All Annie can focus on is their breathing.

"Oh, God. I must be so awkward. I have no idea what to do with my eyes. Do I look into his? Do I look away from him? What if he thinks..."

"Whoa, watch my foot there, Annie."

She snaps back to reality, and lifts her foot off of Eren's.

"Sorry... I was..." She brings her eyes to Eren's, "Distracted."

Eren gives her a smile.

"This feels weird without music." He says.

"I was just thinking the same thing!"

"Would you like me to sing a song to break the silence?" Eren proposes.

"Oh! Sure, if you don't mind."

"I might be a little rough on the ears, but I still find it fun. Here goes..."

I could show the world how to smile  
I could be glad, all of the while  
I could change the gray skies to blue  
If I had you

I could leave the old days behind  
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind  
I could start my life anew  
If I had you

I could climb a snow-capped mountain  
I could sail the mighty ocean wide  
I could cross the burning desert  
If I had you by my side

I could be a king, dear, uncrowned  
Humble or poor, rich or renowned  
There is nothing I couldn't do  
If I had you

"That was wonderful, Eren." Annie praises his singing.

"It's a little song my father used to sing to my mom." Eren explains.

"Oh..." Annie wishes she hadn't caused him to remember his parents.  
"I'm sorry if I made you sad."

"Nah, it's fine. This is a happy memory." He reassures Annie. "Shall we dance some more?"

"Yes! And here's to many more happy memories." Annie smiles.


	27. Information

"Annie, do you know anything about this abnormal?" Eren asks.

"No, I don't notice any familiar patterns from it. This seems to be a new one entirely. We'll be going into the fight blind if we encounter it." She postulates.

"That scares me Annie." Eren worries. "Promise me," He pauses. "Promise me that if things get bad, you will leave me behind and save yourself, okay?"

After he says this, Annie walks right up to Eren, looks him straight in the eyes, and slaps him across the face.

"How could you say that??" She cries as the tears well up in her eyes. "I will never abandon you!" She gasps.

"I'm serious, Annie!" Eren pleads as he rubs his cheek. "I don't want you to die as well! I've lost too many people that I care about already..."

"Yeah, well I'm serious too! If you go, I go!"

"Fine." Eren replies, having to wipe tears away from his own eyes now, "Let's try our best to make sure that doesn't happen, alright?"

"Of course." She promises.

They sit in silence while they try to regain their composure.

"So, it appears to be wielding a blade of some sort. That much we've already figured out." Annie nods in agreement. "Do you think it has a hostile intent?"

"Well, you're the only one who hasn't started out with a mission against humans, so I think it's safe to assume so."

"That's fair enough. Is it possible that there are more than one?"

"I don't think so. We normally work alone."

"Well, then. THAT will be our advantage!" Eren smiles. "Together, we're unstoppable!"

"You're right!" She says. "We really shouldn't be worried about this!"

"So, let's go over some strategies for when we encounter it!"


	28. Invasion

"EREN! WAKE UP!"

Eren's eyes flutter open slightly. He sees a bit of blonde hair. "Annie?" He mumbles.

"No!"

Eren's snaps awake. He sits up fast and sees Armin kneeling on his bed.

"What are you d-"

"No time! Wall Rose has been breached!" Armin yells.

"What? We have to go help!" He goes to Annie's bed and wakes her up.

"Wha-?" Annie moans.

"Annie! The city is under attack!"

"They haven't exactly been the best neighbors." Annie says.

"Well, yes, but we need to protect them anyways!" Eren pleads.

"Please! There's an abnormal there!" Armin begs.

"What?!?" Eren spins around. "An abnormal???"

"Yes!"

"Eren." Annie speaks up. "This might be our best chance to take it down if it's in the city. Who knows when it will appear again."

"Glad you're on board!" Eren says as he grabs her hand and the three run outside. Three horses stand waiting outside.

"How'd you get these?" Eren asks.

"I stole them." Armin says bluntly.

"What??" Eren spurts.

"I'll explain once we get going!" Armin shouts.

They get on the horses and start riding towards the city.

"So, how did you find us?" Annie asks.   
"I followed the Survey Corps when they ambushed you. I was about to rescue you when Hange beat me to it." Armin explains.

"Why did you have to follow them?" Eren asks.

"Well, the Corps didn't take too kindly to my loyalty to you. Same thing with Mikasa. So we got kicked out."

"I guess that explains why you weren't afraid to steal the horses. Where's Mikasa?"

"She stayed behind to fight the titans!"

"What??" Eren spurs his horse to run even faster. "We have to go save her!"

"Eren, calm down!" Annie calls out. "Rushing in is too dangerous!"

Annie and Armin catch up to Eren, who is stopped in front Wall Rose.

Eren drops to his knees at the sight of the Wall.

What's left of it, that is.


	29. Desolation

"This is all that's left?" Eren asks, with fear in his voice.

"It's worse than when I left..." Armin moans.

The portcullis of Wall Rose is completely torn apart, and it's hard to tell if there's more wall or rubble. There appear to be no titans outside of the Wall however.

"They must be all inside!" Eren panics. He rushes into the city with Armin and Annie close behind.

The first row of houses is completely destroyed. Mutilated bodies lay in the street. The stench of death hangs high in the air. Suddenly, a familiar figure lands in front of them.

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" Hange yells. "This is a disaster! I can't even get excited about the abnormal!"

"You've seen it??" Eren runs up to her.   
"Yes! Levi and Mikasa are busy fighting it right now!"

"What?" Eren yells. He takes off again into the city.

Meanwhile...

"Levi! Watch out! Blade coming your way!" Mikasa warns.

"Got it!" Levi responds, evading the massive sword. "Thanks for the warning."

Mikasa swings around, going for its neck, but the abnormal smacks her away. She flies through the air. 

"Is this how it ends?" She thinks. "I'm sorry Eren."

She suddenly feels a soft padding holding her. She looks up and sees none other than Eren, come to rescue her.

The titan duo steps up to the battlefield, and the sword-wielding titan takes notice.

He is skinny, with shining blonde hair, going down to his shoulders, and a long, thick sword hanging from his back. His eyes are an emerald green, and he doesn't seem particularly muscular.

Eren looks over to Annie, and she nods at him.

"This is it." She thinks. "It's now or never! Do or die!"


	30. Showdown

The bladed titan comes rushing at Eren, sword at his side, until the last moment when he brings it up. Eren barely evades it, seeing a few strands of hair fly off and melt into steam.

Eren retaliates with a few quick jabs to his stomach. Annie runs in for a strong blow to the face, sending him flying.

*chomp*

Eren looks down to find a 5m titan chewing on his leg. Mikasa swoops in and dispatches it immediately.

"We'll take care of the normal ones! You focus on the abnormal!" She cries.   
Eren nods and turns around to face the abnormal, which has gotten back on its feet during the commotion. He runs towards the sword wielder, and knocks it out of his hand with a kick.

Eren starts with a flurry of punches. Annie begins approaching. The abnormal grabs Eren's hands, headbutts him, lifts him up, then throws him onto Annie. He then runs off in order to reclaim his sword.

Eren gets up, then helps Annie back onto her feet. The Abnormal returns to face the two. He starts running towards Eren. Eren runs up to meet him. The Abnormal swings his sword low and cuts Eren's leg clean off. Eren topples over.

The abnormal turns his attention to Annie for the time being, and brings his sword down towards her head. She raises a crystallized arm in defense. The sword bounces right off as usual, but a crack appears.

She switches hands to defend against a slashing attack from the side. The other arm cracks too. He sweeps his sword from the other side too, hitting Annie's first arm. The crystal shell falls away. The abnormal raises his sword above his head once more and brings it down. She is powerless to defend.

At that moment, Eren jumps in front of Annie, taking the blow right into his arms, cutting them off as well. The Abnormal, clearly annoyed at his resilience, takes his sword, and digs it into Eren's gut and twists it. The pain is excruciating.

Annie jumps up, grabs the abnormal's sword hand, and breaks it in two. She then grabs it by the throat, lifts it up, and stares directly into it's eyes. She lets out a deep roar.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

The air seemed to shake upon her speaking those words. Her body seemed to erupt in flames, she had veins of fire, and eyes like a demon's. She lifts up the abnormal, and slams him down into the ground, headfirst, destroying his face. She rips off all of his limbs, one by one, deaf to his screams of pain. An arm flies and crashes into a nearby roof, sending shingles flying through the air like hail. She only stops when he is but a steaming torso and half of a neck. She rips out the human inside, which is nearly identical to his titan form, and hands him to Levi.

She picks up Eren, and presses her forehead to his. His arms grow back, and he grabs her head and kisses her. Her eyes grow wide. She drops him out of shock, but he just pulls her down with him. They lay there for a minute, looking into each others eyes.

"Yeah, Eren!" Armin yells.

"Alright, you two, I've been plenty polite!" Mikasa yells. "We've still got titans roaming about remember?"

The two get up, and make short work of the remaining titans.

*1 hour later*

"So, Annie," Eren says, still blushing, "I didn't know you could speak in titan form!"

"Neither did I!" She replies, also blushing. "I was really surprised!"

"So," Mikasa says, "You two are a couple, then?"

They look at each other.

"Yeah, I guess so!" Annie smiles.

"Ha! You owe me dinner, Heichou!" Hange laughs triumphantly.

"Yeah, whatever, you got it." Levi groans. "But onto more important matters: Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhardt, due to your valiant effort put forth in the defense of humanity, you are now welcome back into the city. All charges against you will be dropped."

Eren looks at Annie, and she nods at him.

"No thanks!" He says, "I think we'll be just fine outside!"


	31. Reparation

*meanwhile, inside Wall Sina...*

A local artist, by the name of Candice, is drawing a portrait of the destruction caused by the attack, when Hange suddenly appears.

"Hey, you!" She calls to the artist.

"Hello, ma'am!" Candice replies. "Are you looking for a portrait?"

"Yes! I have a commission for you! It won't take long at all!" Hange promises

"Well, ok. It's not like this rubble is going to go anywhere anytime soon. What is the subject?"

"I want you to draw my babies!" Hange exclaims.

"Babies?"

Hange grabs the artist by the hand and starts taking her all through the ruins inside Wall Rose.

"Frankly, ma'am, you look too good to have had more than one child." Candice says.

"Well, I'm flattered! Oh, and don't worry about titans in here, we've got some pretty powerful bodyguards."

"O-ok."

"Here they are!"

"Where?" Candice is confused.

"Look, up there!"

The artist follows Hange's finger up Wall Rose.

"Why are your ba-" She suddenly stops in her tracks upon seeing two 15m titans sitting.

"WHAT ARE TH-" Hange clasps her hand over Candice's mouth. She drags her behind the nearest building before Eren turns his head to face them. He looks for a second, then turns his head back.

"SHH!" Hange silences her. "We don't want them to notice or they'll stop!"

"Stop what?" She asks.

"Holding hands!" Hange squeals. "They're so cute together I just love it!"

"Okay... how do I get a good angle then?"

"Oh yeah, just stand on this building here!" Hange leads the way.

*back to the duo*

"Hey, Eren! You still watching out for us up there? I know you've got something to distract you but we're still in danger over here!" Armin teases.

"Yes. Need I remind you that there are still titans outside the Wall Rose?" Levi says. "Look, there's one now." He points to a 10m titan then looks up. "Leonhardt, do you mind?"

Eren lets go of her hand, and she hops off the Wall, landing with a thud. It's an easy drop since a good bit of the top is lost. She takes it out with no problem and quickly jumps back up to the wall.

Eren rests his head on her shoulder and she strokes his hair. The sun starts to set.

"Alright, guys, we're done for the day! We managed to get all the major holes plugged, but we'll still all stay together in the barracks tonight, and leave the civilians inside Wall Sina."

A voice calls from behind the two, "Let's get you back to normal, shall we?"

Eren wakes up to see Mikasa standing over him, smiling. She helps him up, and hugs him.

"I didn't get the chance to welcome you back yet." She grins even larger. She walks over to Annie, and offers her hand. Annie shakes it.

"I guess we'll have to become friends now." Mikasa laughs.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Eren talked a lot about you."

They start whispering and giggling and looking over at Eren.

"Uh, guys?" Eren forces a chuckle. "What are you talking about over there?"

"Don't worry about it!" They say in unison, then look at each other and laugh.

"O Lord" Eren sighs to himself.

They get back to the barracks, and settle down for dinner. A figure runs by in a blur.

"Why did Hange run by really fast, what was that brown, rectangular thing, and why was she snickering like a madwoman?" Annie asks, utterly confused.

"You never know with her..." Eren sighs.

*In Hange's room*

"Yes!" She laughs, as she unwraps the portrait from its brown packaging. She places it above her bed. "Perfect!"

*Back to the mess hall*

"So, you two." Levi says. "I've got a major task for you to take care of, if you're up to it."

"Sure, what is it?" Eren asks.

"It's time to reclaim Wall Maria."


	32. Hearts Are Slow To Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet Another Prequel

"GET OUT OF OUR CITY, YOU BASTARDS!"

The shout pierces the air of the market street. Something flashes in the corner of Annie's eye.

*CRACK*

She opens her eyes to see Eren standing in front of her, steam rising in the air.

"Are you alright?" He turns to ask her.

Annie can only let out a gasp at first.

"Are you?" 

The first thing Annie noticed was the steam, but when he turned around, she saw that it was much worse.

Blood is streaming down his face, his skin has turned pale. But the worst part...

His eye

A bottle must have hit him squarely in his right socket, because all that's left is shards of glass in a bloody pulp.

Eren collapses at her feet.

"FUCK YOU!" She yells to the angry crowd. She tenderly picks Eren up, and sprints to the barracks.

"HANGE!" She storms into her room. "Can you help us? PLEASE?!?!" She begs through tears.

"What happened?!?!" Hange jumps up and immediately inspects his eye.

"Some asshole threw a bottle at me, and Eren jumped in front of it, and now...." She has to stop herself lest she completely break down.

"Well, the good news is, he'll be fine." Hange reassures Annie.

"The bad news is, if we don't get this glass out before his eye grows back, he'll lose his use of it. We can fix that later, but he'll be in a lot of pain, and it'll be much more dangerous." She explains.

"Ok, just do it now then!" Annie yells.

"On it!" She runs to get a medical kit, comes back, and sets it on the table. "You may want to look away." She grabs the scalpel, and starts clearing out the eye socket.

"We have to make sure we clear EVERY shard of glass, or it will cause him severe pain when his eye regenerates."

Annie has to hold back the urge to vomit, both from fear, and disgust. She grabs Eren's hand and focuses on that only.

"We have a problem."

"What?!?!"

"Look."

Eren's other eye is flickering, threatening to open.

"I'm not done, and I don't know how he'll react. He doesn't know where he is, why he's here, or what's happening." Hange tells Annie, obviously implying something.

"I'm sorry, Eren" Annie says as she places her hands over his mouth and nostrils, just long enough for him to pass out again.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!" A voice calls from the doorway. A flash of black and red speeds by as Mikasa grabs Eren's other hand.

"I'll tell you later, Hange needs to concentrate now."

Mikasa nods in compliance.

"I think that's all of them." Hange murmurs. She starts cleaning the now empty socket with antiseptic. She then places a very porous mesh over the wound, so the steam can escape while he regenerates.

"So, what happened?" Mikasa asks.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Annie and Mikasa sit by his side in silence for the next hour. Armin comes in later, because Hange didn't want anyone else possibly disturbing Eren's rest. He carries Mikasa to bed since she fell asleep with her head on Hange's bed, which served as the operating table. Annie now holds a silent vigil, watching over Eren as the night goes on.

".......e"

She jumps up out of her seat.

"....nnn....e"

She brings her ear to Eren's mouth.

"....Annie"

"I'm here Eren." She starts crying.

"I'm glad you're alright."

"That's my line, you prick." She blurts out through tears and laughter.

"Where are we, by the way?" Eren groans as he struggles to sit up.

"We're in Hange's room." Annie says as she holds Eren's back to help him up.

"What's on my eye?" Eren pats the mesh covering.

"It's a bandage, your eye was pretty messed up."

"I somewhat remember that. Help me get it off, will you?" He requests.

She climbs up on the bed, gets behind him, and gingerly unwraps the bandage holding the mesh on. It falls away. He turns to face her.

"Oh, Eren..." A tear falls down her cheek.

"Annie. No one's gonna give me a mirror, will they? How bad is it?"

Annie puts on a smile as she looks at the giant scar circling his eye.

"Hell, Eren, you were always ugly, slap some face paint on there and nobody will be able to tell the difference." She grabs his head and pulls him close to her.

"Ah! Don't make me laugh, dammit, my face is barely holding together as it is." Eren sighs as he rests his head on Annie's chest.

"Why would someone do this?" Annie asks.

"If you saw nothing but wanted posters with two faces on them, and were constantly told to be on the lookout for extremely dangerous terrorists with superpowers, wouldn't you be scared?" Eren explains. 

"That wasn't fear, that was rage." Annie replies.

"Either way, we just cleared our names. A person's heart is slow to change. We'll just have to prove it to everyone that we mean no harm."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Annie sighs.

"I'd take a bottle to the face for you anyday."


	33. Proposition

(Back to retaking Wall Maria)

"How do you propose doing that?" Eren asks.

"Well," Hange calls as she walks from her room, mysteriously locking the door, "we need to show the higher-ups that you can be trusted and that you are effective."

"And how do you plan to do THAT?" Annie asks.

"That'd be me, ma'am!" A strange voice comes from around a corner. "Sorry I'm late, fellas!"

"You'll be protecting this farmer as he sets up a plot of land between Maria and Rose." Levi explains.

The farmer is in his 30's, with short, curly, brown hair, and dirt all over his face. He seems somewhat well dressed however, with a buttondown shirt on.

"I'll be counting on you two now, okay?" He says.

"Uh, yeah sure. What's your name by the way?" Eren asks.

"Reginault! But you can call me Reg, or Reggie!" He replies.

"That's a weird name isn't it, Eren?" Annie whispers.

"Yeah, it's a little strange."

"What are you guys talking about?" Reg asks.

"Oh, nothing, just logistics." Eren lies.

"Well then, let's go find a plot of land!" He shouts enthusiastically.

"Yayyy..." Eren groans to himself. "Babysitting..."

The three make their way out into the fields that Eren once called home. He feels the memories come rushing back carrying emotions with them. He grips Annie's hand tightly.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asks, unable to see the tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just..." He wipes his eyes. "My mother used to take me here all the time."

Annie grabs Eren and pulls him into a tight embrace until he calms down.

"Shh, it's ok, Eren. I'm right here with you, and I'm not going anywhere." She comforts him.

"Thanks, Annie, you always manage to make the pain go away..." Eren picks himself up.

Reggie is standing far away, trying not to intrude.

"Yo, Reg!" Eren yells. "You find a spot yet?"

"Uh, yeah!" He says. "You think this'll work?" He questions as he points to a hilltop.

"Let's put the farmhouse there!" He plans it out in his mind.

"You guys hearing me over there?"

*BOOM*

Reggie jumps at the incredibly loud sound, and turns around to see two titans standing in front of him.

"Whoa! Nobody told me yall could do that!!" He says in awe.

Eren grabs a tree and marks the spot where the farmhouse will be, while Annie tills the ground with her crystal nails.

"Yall sure work fast don't ya! Sure can make a man feel pretty useless!" Reg laughs. "We can't get this done tonight, right?"

Eren shakes his head.

"Oh, right. We need supplies first. Well, that's enough for today, then! Let's head back!"

The trio walk back to the city, with dirty titan hands, and exhausted bodies.


	34. Celebration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know the song they were playing, listen to Jupiter by Gustav Holst, you'll know the part when you hear it.

"Up and at 'em, you two!" Levi calls into Eren and Annie's room. "It's a busy day today, and if you work hard, all the construction will be finished."

They get out of their beds, which are on opposite sides of their small room, and take turns getting dressed in the bathroom down the hall. They head to the mess hall for breakfast once they are both ready.

They sit down next to each other at one of the benches. Despite it being a rather large table, only Mikasa and Armin join them.

"I guess they don't quite trust us yet." Annie observes.

"Well, Hange trusts us, but she's just sitting over there, staring at us and grinning like crazy..." Eren notices.

"Yeah, she's been following you guys everywhere. She's obsessed with the fact that you're a couple." Mikasa informs the two.

"Really?" Annie spurts, blushing.

"Yeah! She's not very subtle about it to everyone else, but she's been following close behind you two for the past few days." Armin continues.

"That's pretty creepy..." Eren says. "Anyway, it's time for the two of us," He points his head towards Annie, "to get to work for the day."

The two pick up their plates and put them on the cart for dirty dishes, and walk outside to where Reggie is waiting, with a few more people this time.

"Who are they?" Annie asks.

"Why, they're my farmhands!" He says proudly. "I've got a few guys to help out with general work, one cook, and a guy to handle the cows!"

"We're going to have cows?!?" Eren is shocked. "I thought they were all killed when Wall Maria fell!"

"Naw, some of the richer folk had some, and they gave us some of their extras in exchange for a fair plot of land once the wall is reclaimed."

"Well there's no one left who used to live here, so I guess that's fair." Eren says.

"Well, you ready to get the farmhouse completed?" Reggie asks.

"Yeah, let's do it." Annie replies. She shifts and Eren follows suit.

They lift the massive planks with ease, while the others begin to furnish the interior. They finish just before sundown.

"Well, I reckon that's a cause for celebration!" Reggie hollers.

"Hey, Eren!" A voice calls.

Eren turns around and looks down to see Armin with a bunch of people behind him.

"We hired these musicians from inside Wall Sina to play some songs for us!" Armin shouts.

The whole Survey Corps also shows up to the party, including Levi, who seems to be in unusually high spirits. Eren and Annie stand, towering over everyone, and watch them dance to the fast songs.

"We might step on someone if we try dancing that fast..." Eren figures.

Suddenly the music slows down.

"This might be our chance!" Eren thinks. He holds his hand out to Annie. She takes it, and the crowd makes room for the two.

He grabs her by the hand and waist. They start moving and rocking back and forth. He pulls her close and she rests her head on his chest. Eren looks down and sees Armin dancing with Mikasa. He gives Armin a wink, and Armin grins back at him. He also spots Levi dancing with Hange, and for once, he has a smile on his face.

"Way to go, Heichou." Eren smiles to himself.

The whole Survey Corps starts cheering for the dancing couples. Mikasa pulls her scarf over her mouth to hide her blushing. The cheering was loudest for Levi. It seems impossible, but he looks even shorter out of embarrassment, trying not to be noticed.

The final chord of the song is played, and Annie pulls Eren down to her level by his hair, and kisses him. The Corps goes crazy. The two step out of the circle, and find a place to be alone. They sit on top of Wall Rose, and watch the city settle down for the night. They sit there in silence, content with just each other's company, for hours.

They head back to the farmhouse when they hear the music die down, and they change back to normal.

"Oh hey guys! Where'd you run off to?" Reg asks.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Eren brushes off the question.

"Oh, shoot!" Reg exclaims. "We seem to be one bed short tonight, sorry you guys..."

"That's alright!" Annie smiles. "We'll share, it won't be the first time."

"Oh, alright. Goodnight, then you two!"

"'Night!" Eren returns the sentiment.

The two get changed into their nightwear, and climb into bed.

"That was fun, eh?" Eren says.

"Yeah, I had a really nice time!" Annie responds. "So, how about Armin and Mikasa?" Annie asks.

"I'm proud of him!" Eren grins. "I wish them the best. But the real scoop: Levi and Hange, am I right?"

"Yeah! That's the first time I've seen the captain show any emotions!" She giggles, then yawns. "I'm pretty tired..." She groans.

"Yeah, me too..." He hears the slow breathing that means she is asleep.

...

"I love you, Annie..."


	35. A Good Morning

Eren awakes to the sound of birds chirping. He looks down to see Annie looking back up at him.

"Hey there." He groans as he stretches to get the sleep out of him.

"Your breath stinks." She giggles.

"Oh, sorry!" Eren blushes.

"That's okay!" She laughs. "Mine does, too."

"Well, let's go fix that, shall we?"

The two make their way to the bathroom and complete their hygiene rituals.

"Now that's much better!" Annie says as she surprises Eren with a kiss. Eren returns it wholeheartedly, and they step into the dining area of the farmhouse.

"Hey you two! How'd you sleep?" Reggie asks.

"Oh! We slept pretty well!" Eren answers.

A white bottle on the counter catches Eren's eye.

"WHAT. IS. THAT???" He gasps.

"Why, that's some milk, fresh from the cows!" Reg exclaims proudly.

"It's been forever since I had milk!" Eren cheers. He grabs maybe half a gallon to drink with his breakfast.

"A little excited, are we?" Annie teases.

"You've obviously never had it if you're not excited for this!" Eren calls her out.

"You're right, I've never had it." Annie confesses.

"Well, you're gonna have it today!" Eren exclaims.

He hands her his glass, and she takes a little sip. She sits and thinks about it.   
"It's alright, I guess..." Annie says.

"Don't worry, it grows on you." Eren promises.

"Where does this come from anyway?" Annie asks.

"Ooh, you don't know?" Reggie laughs in a mischievous way.

"It comes from cows." Eren answers.

"WHAT?" Annie spits. "That's disgusting!"

"Not really..." Eren says. "It's better than eating meat."

"I guess so..." She sighs. "Here, give me a glass."

"I knew you'd come around!" Eren cheers. "Here you go!"

"By the way, we got some eggs from inside Wall Sina, to-"

"WHAT?" Eren interrupts Reggie. "The Survey Corps doesn't have ANY of this stuff."

"Well, being an experiment for the government, I guess we earned some perks." Annie sneers.

"How would you like your eggs?" The cook calls.

"I've always wanted to try them Sunny side-up!" Eren requests.

"You got it!"

"Oh, Annie, this is gonna be great!" Eren can barely sit still. "Wait, don't tell me: You haven't had eggs either?"

"Sorry." She says.

"Hey, cook!" Eren calls. "Can we get some scrambled eggs for the lady?"

"You bet!"

"So, what're these 'eggs' made of, anyway?" Annie asks.

"Well, you see..."

ONE BIOLOGY LESSON LATER

"You mean this is a potential chick?" Annie asks, with fear and disgust in her voice.

"Well, it's really just food for the baby, if it were to be fertilized, and DNA, so unless it IS fertilized, it's not living." Eren explains.

"Well, that's still gross, but I'll give it a try if you want me to... " Annie concedes.

"Sunny side-up for the gentleman, and scrambled for his lady!" The cook delivers the orders to the table. Eren starts chowing down. Annie takes a nibble and swallows it.

"Well?" Eren asks, heavy with anticipation, (and his meal).

"They're bland, but pretty good."

"Yeah, that can't be helped." Eren sighs. "Well, now that we've had our fill of breakfast, let's get to work for the day."

"Alright guys, we've got a lot of work to do today, so let's get star-" Reggie stops in mid-sentence.

"Eren, where did the cows go?" His voice trembles.

"What are you talking about? The fence is there for a reason." Eren replies.

"The fence has been destroyed! No way the cattle could have done that! Oh man, we had five cows in there, and they're all gone!"

"What's that over there?" Annie points to some mysterious spots on the ground.

"They're footprints..." Eren says.

"From a titan, it looks like." Annie concludes.

"But there's only one set of footprints, meaning it only made one trip, yet it carried all of the cows away. The question is: 'How?'" Eren wonders.

"Well, it's an abnormal, no doubt about that. But what kind?" Annie ponders.

"Yes, that's what we'll have to find out first." Eren agrees.

"Alright, this is a disaster..." Reggie sighs. "I'll go and put out a requisition order for some more cows."

"No, don't do that, they'll just be taken again, and we don't know how long our patrons' patience will last." Annie warns.

"Yes, let's follow these tracks for now..." Eren concludes.

The two start walking and following the footprints. They keep with them, going outside of Wall Maria, until they reach the forest. Then, the prints suddenly stop.

"Look, up in the trees." Annie observes. "Notice the splintering in the wood?"

"Yeah? What's that mean?" Eren is confused.

"It requires a tremendous amount of force to cause a tree to splinter like that. And it seems to be like this on a lot of trees. Like there was more than one."

"Well, how did they only leave one set of footprints?" Eren asks.

"That's the biggest mystery as of now..." Annie says.

"Well, there's no way that we can tell where they went, with all the trees damaged like this. Let's head back, and keep watch at night. This is getting pretty dangerous." Eren proposes.

"Alright, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried." Annie confesses. "Let's go back to the farmhouse."

They make their way back through Wall Maria.

"Well, it's showing to be no easy task to reclaim this area." Annie says.

"Yeah, we're going to have to really work for it if we want to succeed." Eren agrees.

They reach the farmhouse, and Reggie greets them by the door:

"You guys find anything out?" Reggie asks.

"Not too much, only that there may be more than one abnormal." Annie reports.

"More than one?" Reggie asks, fear in his voice.

"Yes. We're going to keep watch tonight, then contact the Survey Corps in the morning." Eren explains. 

"Oh, alright. Well, I guess I'm going to go to bed, now." Reggie says.

"Alright, goodnight. Don't worry, we'll keep you safe." Eren promises.

Reggie heads into his room, and retires for the night. Eren and Annie climb to the top of the house, and begin their lookout.

"I'll take first watch if you want to sleep." Annie says.

"Sure, I'd like that." Eren accepts her offer.

Annie pats the top of her thigh for Eren to lay his head down. He plops it down, and gets comfortable. Annie strokes his hair like she loves to do. He falls asleep in a few seconds.

"There seem to be more people like me than I thought... I don't know of any more, so who are they? I'm glad Eren is here with me because I'm scared for once in my life. Well, Eren, now it's my turn to keep watch the whole night."

And that she did.


	36. Vacation

"So, that's all you've found out about the abnormals, eh?" Levi asks.

"Yes sir!" Eren reports. "There seem to be two of them, at least. And no humans have been harmed yet, thankfully, but it's only a matter of time."

"I agree, but I think we've all been working too hard. It's time for a well-deserved trip for some R&R." Levi suggests.

"Ok, where do you want to go?" Hange asks.

"Let's go somewhere outside the walls."

"But that's dangerous, Captain!"Jean objects.

"Not when we've got two titans to protect us." He looks over at the two.

Eren turns to Annie and whispers, "Well, now he's just taking advantage of us..."

"What was that, Eren?" Levi glares.

"N-nothing, sir!" Eren is caught off guard. "A vacation sounds like a great idea!"

"Ha! Glad you agree, because you'll be the transportation!" Erwin reveals.

"Ugh!" Eren groans.

"Well, I think we're all ready to go!" Hange says. "So if you two would kindly shift once you get outside..."

Annie and Eren step outside, and shift. The Survey Corps steps outside. Eren picks up Erwin and Levi, and put them on his shoulders. He then holds Armin and Mikasa in his hands. Annie puts Sasha on her head, Jean and Connie on her shoulders, and holds Hange in one hand. They start running out of the city, a start following a familiar track of the forest.

"Hey Jean and Connie!" Armin calls out. "I believe Eren would like me to tell you to keep your eyes forward, not down!"

Eren gives the two a death glare and makes sure they got the message. They reach the cabin in the forest that the Eren and Annie used to inhabit.

"What's this?" Levi asks.

"This is where they were living." Armin explains.

"You mean they were this close to the city and we didn't find them?" Erwin sighs. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we didn't."

They continue on their way into the wilderness, when Armin hears a sound. It's kind of a whooshing noise with some crashes too.

"Eren! Go this way!" Armin points.

Eren changes direction to go towards the sound. They come out of the forest to see light yellow sand, and an endless expanse of water.

"This is the beach we've always read about, Eren! Here, put us down! We're taking our vacation here, guys!" Armin yells, clearly excited.

The two let everyone down to the ground. While everyone is changing to the bare minimum of clothes, Annie runs into the water, and Eren follows suit, since they have no clothes in the first place. They simply sit down and feel the current washing over them. The rest of the Survey Corps gets in, even Levi, and start playing in the water. Hange starts to splash Levi, and he just stands there and takes it.

"Hey now, lighten up, Heichou!" Erwin says.

"I'm fine, this is child-ARGH!" Levi is cut off in mid sentence when Hange tackles him into the water.

"That's what you get for not following orders." Erwin teases.

Armin and Mikasa are sitting in the water, down a little ways. Armin is telling her all the stuff that he and Eren learned about the beach when they were younger.

Sasha is eating the snacks that she brought, including some jerky she stole from the cabin.

Annie grabs Eren's hand and starts leading him deeper into the water. Their height advantage allows them to go much farther than the rest of the Corps. Suddenly, Eren feels a sharp pain in his leg, he reaches down, and sees a strange, gray fish with a fin biting his leg. He reaches down, picks it up, and throws it to shore. It lands with a thud.

"Woah! What is that??" Armin yells. He runs out of the water to go to the creature. "Hey guys, come check this out, it's amazing!" He calls. The rest of the Survey Corps leaves the water and surrounds the fish, which was killed by the impact.

"What is it?" Armin asks Hange.

"Let's see here..." Hange pulls some tools out of nowhere and starts examining the creature. "Well, the skin is very rough, including the pointy thing at the top, and it changes color as we go from back to stomach. Gray to white, respectively. "Let's take a look at its mouth, shall we?" She moves around to the front and puts a hand on each jaw. "Ow! Sharp!" She yells, and places her hands more carefully. She then pulls the jaws apart lightly.

"Woah!" Armin gasps in awe. "Look at all of those teeth!"

"No wonder Eren wanted it off so fast." Jean says.

"Hey, where is Eren, by the way?" Mikasa asks.

The Corps looks over to see Annie holding Eren out of the water, with her legs turned to crystal. There seems to be a lot of thrashing going on in the water.

"Well, I guess there were more of these things in there. Alright guys, let's see what meat we can salvage from this beast." Erwin commands.

"Now you're talking!" Sasha drools.

They begin cutting up the fish, and separating the meat into little sections for each member to carry home. While they are doing that, Eren and Annie come up behind them, and drop four more next to them.

"What happened to their teeth?" Hange asks.

Annie shows them her crystal leg with a few scrapes and bruises on it.

"Oh." Armin says.

Eren grabs Annie's hand and they start to walk down the beach. Looking at the waves and the trees. When, suddenly.

*WOOOOOSSSSSH!*

The ground falls away beneath the two, and they fall about 25 yards down into a hole. They get up and start looking around. Eren spots a tunnel, but figures that it's too dark to explore it. He picks up Annie, places him so she's standing on his shoulders, and with the added height, she easily climbs out. She extends her hand to Eren. He takes it, and she pulls him out.

The Survey Corps makes their way back to the barracks, where a feast is prepared with the unexpected harvest that occurred. Everyone is sitting at the same table, enjoying the meal.

"Eren, don't you realize?" Annie starts. "That's how they must have gotten away, with those tunnels."

"You must be right." Eren agrees. "The question is: How far do those tunnels go?"

"That's a good question, we'll have to find that out soon." Annie says.

"Yeah, but for now, let's enjoy the festivities!" Eren says.

"Yeah, let's do that!"


	37. A Larger Threat

"UMPH!"

Eren wakes up to find Annie's lips on his, making it hard to breathe.

"You woke me up." He laughs.

"That was the point." She smiles.  
"Anyway, we've got to find out more about these abnormals."

"I agree, I don't like being in the dark." Eren says.

"Levi sent someone to get us. Apparently, they've found something important."

"What is it?"

"He wouldn't say, just that it was big."

"Well, let's go find out then."

They get dressed and say goodbye to Reggie, then start making their way to the barracks. They walk through the crowds of civilians.

"They seem panicked." Annie whispers.

"How can you tell?" Eren asks.

"You haven't spent your whole life silent and listening, so you can haven't learned to pick up on these things like I have."

"I guess I do run my mouth a bit much." Eren admits.

"The messenger told us to go to Wall Sina, that we'll know it when we see it." Annie relays the message.

"Hey, Annie?"

"What?"

"I think that's it..." Eren's voice trails off.

Annie looks up to see a large chunk of Wall Sina destroyed. No... More like: Sunken. A whole part of it seems to have fallen down.

"Nice of you two to join us." Levi says. "I take it you realize the gravity of the situation? A Wall destroyed without anyone being able to see it coming, or do anything about it?"

"Yes, it is indeed very concerning." Annie ponders. "Hey, Eren, I have a hunch."

"Yeah? What is it?" Eren asks.

"Let's shift, and clear up this rubble."

"Alright!"

They transform and begin clearing away the wreckage. Thankfully, they find no bodies in the mess. After about 30m of rocks are cleared, a hole is revealed.

"That's what I thought." Annie is pleased with her intuition.

"It's a tunnel!" Armin surmises. "I need to go check it out! See where it leads!"

He hops down into the hole with his gear, and Mikasa follows him.

"It's dangerous to go alone." She explains. "Let me go with you."

"Ok. Thanks! I know I'll be fine, now that you're with me!" Armin smiles.

"Stop it..." Mikasa blushes and pulls her scarf over her mouth, secretly enjoying it.

They begin following the tunnel, it seems to go on forever, and is about 10 yards in diameter.

"Hey, Mikasa, this tunnel is directly under Wall Sina for its entire duration." Armin realizes.

"What does that mean?" Mikasa is confused.

"It means that I'm surprised the whole Wall didn't fall!" Armin concludes.

"Oh." Mikasa replies.

"Thankfully, whoever made this was sloppy. They left too much dirt at the top to support it. That saved it from a full on collapse."

*RRRRRRRRRR*

"What was that?" Mikasa asks as she clutches Armin's arm.

"It sounded like a rumbling, like something was digging, right next to us... C'mon, let's keep moving." Armin says, "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

They continue walking around the circle under the wall, until the come across a fork in the path.

"Woah. This doesn't follow the wall, it must be where our culprit exited." Armin surmises. "Let's go this way." He diverges from the path, and gets on the new one.

"This dirt seems to consist of more urban material..." Armin observes. "And I notice a slight incline, too, so we're getting close to the surface."

The tunnel suddenly constricts greatly, to the point where one person would have to crawl through.

"That's odd... There's a shovel here..." Mikasa says.

"Yeah, like a human started digging, but then a titan took over..." Armin adds. "Here, I'll go first." He starts to put his body through the hole, but Mikasa grabs his leg.

"That's far too dangerous!" Mikasa says.

"It's alright, Mika... I can see a light through here!"

Meanwhile, Eren and Annie are filling in the hole as best they can.

"Hey guys!" A voice calls from behind them. They turn around to see Armin and Mikasa running towards them. "They started the tunnel by digging under an abandoned house! Here, look!" Armin holds out a map of the city with markings all over it. "There should be another Under Wall Rose as well! They're planning to bring both walls down, and they're going to do it soon!"

"Good catch, Armin!" Hange is proud of her brainiac protégé.

"You're right, we're getting reports of another tunnel under Wall Rose." Levi affirms. "If they're going to make a move, they'll make it soon... Eren! Annie! We'll need to strike first. Are you up for it?"

They nod.

"Good, Survey Corps! Move out!"


	38. Clash of the Titans

The Survey Corps along with Eren and Annie make their way to the beach, where they found the first tunnel. They shift, and prepare to hop down the hole.

"Hold up, you two." Levi stops them before they go. "We can't go with you. It's too tight in there. Our 3DMG won't work."

Annie nods and hops in the hole, with Eren following suit. They land softly, and start following the tunnel. It becomes very dark, and Annie grabs Eren's hand, so they don't get separated. They reach a split in the path that is lit by a torch. They progress left.

*CRUNCH*

Annie looks down, and sees a skeleton under her foot.

"So that's where the cows went..."

They continue through the tunnel, and come upon an exit. Eren sticks his head out. He sees nothing but trees. He brings it back down, and shakes his head to Annie. They walk back the way they came, and take the right path at the split. The tunnel keeps going on and on and splits in multiple locations.

"We've got to be lost now..." Eren worries.

*RRRRRRRRRR*

Eren snaps his head towards the sound, and pulls Annie along as he starts running, trying to pinpoint the source. Suddenly, the side of the tunnel directly behind them falls away. He hears a heavy panting.

"It's right behind us!"

Eren starts running even faster, and Annie keeps pace with him. Right. Right. Straight. Right. Left. They weave through the labyrinth and suddenly, the floor drops out.

They find themselves in a massive chamber, that is poorly lit, and almost a perfect sphere, with a flat bottom. There's a fireplace, as well as a couch, some chairs, and what looks like a fully functioning kitchen.

"This is where they live, but it looks like an arena..." Annie thinks.

A person gets up. It's a woman, about 6 feet tall, with flowing brown hair. She looks at the two, and waves cheerfully.

"Nice of you to join us!" She greets them. "We've been waiting to meet you both."

Eren cocks his head in confusion.

"You'll meet her soon enough." The stranger promises. "Let's talk a little before she gets here. You'll find her a tad less reasonable than I."

She paces around the room.

"I'm sorry that we don't have furniture for someone of your size, you'll just have to sit on the floor."

There's no response from the two, for obvious reasons.

"Y'know what? It'll be easier if one of you can speak normally, so how about one of you gets down on my level, okay?"

Eren takes Annie out of her titan body, and places her by his feet.

"Ah, Annie!" She calls. "You don't know us, but we know you! You're a legend among our kind! At least, you were, until you abandoned the cause."

"Oh yeah? You'll have to excuse me, having not known about some small timers like you." Annie bites.

"I'll forgive that comment, because it must hurt since you're so inadequate that you got caught." The stranger sneers.

"So..." Annie ignores the comment. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"We have the opportunity to rule over these humans." She starts. "We wish to know if you'd like to join us in doing so."

"What makes you think that you can conquer them?" Annie questions.

"We're very powerful." She replies. "You've yet to realize this."

"Oh yes, you're powerful alright, hiding out in this hole in the ground."

"You test my patience. Our plan is set in place, all we have to do is execute it. I'm offering you a chance to live, and in luxury too. But I have to know I can trust you both."

"Let me guess, you want Eren and I to apply force to Wall Rose and Wall Sina, so that the tunnel system under them will collapse, bringing down the whole Wall."

The stranger looks in stunned silence.

"Oops. Guess we figured out your plan... Sorry." Annie smiles innocently.

*RRRRRRRRRRRRR*

Eren scans the area, trying to find out where the noise is coming from.

"So, what did you do with this information?" The stranger asks, visibly on edge.

"We have begun filling in the tunnels, obviously." Annie tells her.

She sits for a moment, pondering this, then...

"WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR AFFECTION FOR HUMANITY?? THEY DESPISE YOU! YOU ARE DIFFERENT, AND THEY FEAR YOU! WHY WILL YOU NOT USE THEIR FEAR TO YOUR ADVANTAGE??" She is standing in a fury, after throwing furniture about the room.

"To be honest, I have no affection for humanity." Annie says bluntly.

Eren turns his head in shock as he hears this.

"I have however, found a reason to live, and better yet, a reason to be happy." She continues. "And I will do whatever it takes to make him happy too."

"Is this your final decision?" She asks.

"Undoubtedly."

"Very well, let's finish this, shall we?"

The side of the cavern bursts out, and Eren hits the ground. Annie looks over and sees a titan on top of him, with short, red hair, and steel claws.

"So that's how you dug the tunnels." Annie remarks. "So, how did you take the cows?"

"Well," The stranger laughs maniacally, "Allow me to show you..."

Eren throws the Burrowing Titan off of him, and gets up. She digs a hole, and dives into it. The stranger raises her hand, and chomps down on it. Annie pricks her finger with her ring.

Before her stands a titan with four muscular arms. She raises all of her fists in a fighting stance.

"That explains it..." Annie thinks. She returns the fighting stance.

The four armed titan rushes towards Annie, and launches a punch toward her face. She ducks, but gets caught by three jabs to the chest.

"Yeah, I knew this was gonna be hard."

The Burrowing Titan emerges from the side, but Eren dodges, grabs her, and throws her against the wall. He runs over to Annie to help her fight. Eren comes rushing in to attack the Four Armed Titan, and she uses two hands to catch his fist. He grabs another of her arms with his free hand. Annie grabs the final arm, and sweeps her leg, causing her to tumble down. She raises her arms to defend from the flurry of punches, and manages to get ahold of all of their fists. They stay in a deadlock, trying to put enough pressure to cause her to crumble.

*SHUNK*

Eren looks down to see claws coming out of his chest. He is pulled into a tunnel, and the Four Armed Titan uses her two free hands to deliver a powerful blow, launching Annie away from her.

Eren is having trouble regaining control in the tunnel. He starts flailing, and breaks loose from the claws. The Burrowing Titan continues on.

Annie looks up to see the Four Armed Titan running towards her. She crystallizes her stomach before her foot hits it. The Four Armed Titan's foot is destroyed, but she grabs Annie by all four limbs, and lifts her up. She starts pulling hard on Annie's limbs. Annie can feel the muscles start to tear.

The Four Armed Titan rips off all of Annie's appendages, and throws her to the ground. She rips the flesh off her neck, pulls her out, and raises her above her mouth.

"RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRR"

Eren yells as he slams his body into hers. He catches Annie as she falls, and places her on the ground to rest. This time, Eren's the one whose body lights up in the fire of rage.

*SHUNK* He feels the claws in his chest again, but this time, he doesn't flinch, and resists her pulling. He rips off the Burrowing Titan's arms, and punts her into a tunnel.

The Four Armed Titan gets up, and rushes at Eren. He waits just until she reaches him, then he lifts his leg and kicks her in the stomach. He then begins slashing at her wildly with the Burrowing Titan's arms, cutting them all.

He rips the stranger out of her titan body, and holds her in his hand. He runs over to Annie, and picks her up as well.

*Meanwhile, on the surface*

The Burrowing Titan surfaces, after realizing they would lose and fleeing.

"Hello, there!" Hange greets her with a blade to the neck. "Let's get you in a jail cell, shall we?" She smiles as she drags away the body.

Annie wakes up in a dark and damp area with a rough floor. She feels a rhythmic thudding, and the wind I'm her face. She notices a hole, and sticks her head out. She looks up, and sees Eren's nostrils.

"Am I in your mouth??" Annie asks.

Eren nods his head.

"Woah there, cowboy! Be more gentle!" She says after being tossed around.

Eren emerges from the hole the peeked out of after they first entered the tunnel, and heads to the barracks. He hands the stranger over to Levi, and walks back to their log cabin in the forest. She cuts him out, and they collapse on the bed.

"I love you, Eren." Annie whispers.

"I love you, too." Eren replies, and kisses her.

"Let's take a break from all this nonsense for now, okay?" Annie asks.

"Sure. I'm tired of all this fighting. Let's enjoy our time together and relax." Eren smiles.

"I'd love nothing more."


	39. Relaxation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read Queenzie's "Love At Sea" This'll make sense, if she still has this chapter in.

This'll make sense to those who have read Love At Sea by her.  
(I like writing fluff, so here you go!)

Eren wakes up next to Annie, and breathes in the scent of her hair. He holds her close until she wakes up. She stirs after thirty minutes, then turns around. Looks into his eyes, smiles, and kisses him.

"Good Morning." She coos.

"Good Morning!" He says.

They get up, and perform their daily routine, then sit down for breakfast.

"So, I was wondering," Eren starts, "Do you prefer your human or titan body?"

"Hmm" Annie ponders this for a little bit. "I'll have to go with the titan body."

"Then that's how we'll spend the day! Would you like to go to the beach?"

"I'd love to!" She smiles.

"Alright, let's get going then!" Eren says as he shifts. She follows suit, and grabs his hand.

They reach their destination, and start swimming in the water.

"Ha! A lot less of those weird fish things. Guess they learned their lesson!" Eren smirks to himself.

Annie looks over, and notices a titan in the forest, she gets out, and walks over to take care of it. Eren climbs out of the water as well, but sees something in the corner of his eye. It's a wooden construction, and it seemed to be floating on the water.

"Are there people on that... Thing? I should try to make contact with them!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!" Eren lets out a guttural roar. He can faintly hear the sound of voices coming from the strange vessel. It keeps moving along in the water, and doesn't respond to him in any way. Annie comes running out to see what the fuss was about. Eren points to the source of his confusion. She sees it just before it escapes her field of view.

While Annie is looking towards the sea, Eren backs up, and tackles her into the water. She grabs him, picks him up, and throws him further out into the ocean. He gets up and runs towards her. She starts running away, and Eren chases after her. She stops, pivots, and grabs him in a crushing hug.

They sit down in the sand, content with each other's company, and watch the sun set over the water. Eren grabs Annie's hands, and kisses her. She grins, and they walk back to the cabin.

"What WAS that thing?" Eren asks once he's back to normal.

"I have no idea, but you probably scared them away." Annie remarks.

"Really?? I was just trying to make contact with them."

"I know, but this way, I get you all to myself!" Annie cheers.

"Yeah you do!" Eren smiles as he pulls her close to him.


	40. Newcomer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like original characters, sorry, this was a request. They take their leave later.

Annie finds herself waking up. She quietly gets up, so as not to wake Eren, and walks outside for some fresh air. She strolls around in the forest, when a figure appears, but it's too small to be a titan.

"Who's out there?" She queries.

"Oh! It's you!" A voice returns.

"You didn't answer my question..." Annie is skeptical of the stranger's well meaning.

"Sorry... My name's Joel." He answers meekly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I've been watching you guys."

"What? For how long?" Annie asks.

"About three days." Joel replies. He walks towards Annie, and she gets a good look at him. He has dark, crimson eyes, and very dirty blonde hair that partially covers his left eye. He is slouching slightly, like he doesn't have any confidence.

"Why were you watching us?" Annie questions.

"Because I think you're like me." Joel mutters.

"How do you mean?" Annie asks.

"Well, you see, I'm a titan shifter as well."

Annie's eyes widen and her heart begins to beat faster. She takes a fighting stance.

"Woah! What are you doing?" Joel is startled. "I mean you no harm!"

"You'll forgive us for not being so trusting, the last three shifters we encountered weren't so friendly."

"Wait, there are others?" Joel asks.

"Yeah, and they're rotting in a jail cell." Annie says coldly.

"Oh, my. I'd rather not go there." Joel forces a laugh.

"Yeah, we've taken down three abnormals already, so don't try anything stupid, and you'll retain your freedom." Annie threatens.

"Ma'am, I have no intention."

"Don't call me 'ma'am'" Annie says.

"Ok, then what should I call you?"

"Call me Annie. My lazy boyfriend in there is Eren."

"Aww! I thought you were a couple!" Joel says, somewhat out of character based on his earlier attitude.

"Sh-shut up." Annie blushes. "What's unique about you?"

"Well, I can mold my body into different things, but with only one appendage at a time..." Joel answers shyly.

"That's... Interesting. How are you at hand to hand combat?" Annie wonders.

"Huh? I'm alright, I guess... I don't have much experience." Joel is unsure.

"Would you like to shift and show me your abilities?"

"Okay!"

"And afterwards, we'll spar!"

"Oh..." Joel whispers to himself, scared of Annie's abilities.

He raises his hand in the air, showing a ring just like Annie's.

"Wait! How'd you get that ring?" Annie asks.

"This?" He looks at his hand. "I found it."

"Hmm. Okay. Let's get back to it." She raises her hand and pricks her hand to shift to titan form. Joel follows suit.

He holds up his hand to stop her for a moment, and points to his arm. She stares in shock as the skin starts falling away from his bone, and the bone itself starts changing. It becomes jagged, and sharp. It looks like a saw, or a very dangerous sword. He brings his arm back to normal, and assumes a rather sloppy fighting stance.

"I'll let him get a few punches in to build his confidence..." Annie plans. He shimmies up, and throws one, two, three punches at her stomach. On the fourth one, she crystallizes her stomach and Joel's hand is smashed.

"I love doing that!" Annie smirks to herself.

*PHWOOOM!*

*CRASH!*

Eren shifted and tackled Joel in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, shit. This does look bad, doesn't it?" Annie panics.

She grabs Eren's arms, picks him up, and holds him back. Joel just waves nervously. Annie can feel Eren calm down as he puts the pieces together. Joel points to his neck as a gesture of good faith, and to get him out, and they all return to normal. Annie fills Eren in on what Joel told her.

"I still have a question, though..." Annie starts.

"Ok, shoot."

"Where exactly did you get that ring?"

"Oh, I got this in the ruins of a small village."

"In which direction?" Eren thinks he detects a tinge of panic in her voice.

"About a few hours East of here."

Annie's eyes widen even more this time, they start to fill with tears. She runs out of the cabin.

"Wait, Annie!" Eren calls after her and gives chase.


	41. I'll Always Be Here

"Annie!" Eren calls out, trying to find her.

"Was it something I said?" Joel worries.

"I don't know! I've never seen her this upset before!" Eren panics. "We've got to reach her!"

Eren searches the beach, then the farmhouse.

"Not here either! Argh! Wait! I still haven't tried the lake!"

Eren takes off running towards the lake. Sure enough, there Annie is, on her knees, looking out over the water. Eren slowly approaches.

"My village was the only one that made these rings..." She mutters, turning the ring over in her hands. "There's no way that another village could have had one." After saying this, Annie breaks down into tears.

Eren sits down next to her, and she cries into his chest. He places his left hand on her head, and his right hand on her back, and pulls her closer.

"All the people I grew up with... My father... " She whimpers between sobs.

Eren knows all too well the pain Annie is feeling. A few tears fall down his face as well, but he pulls himself together to be there for her.

"I really can't do anything to help, so I'll just give them some time alone." Joel thinks as he clears away a few titans.

"Eren, promise me you'll never leave me. I don't want to be all alone..."

Eren's heart breaks a little when he hears her say this.

"Annie, I love you more than you could ever know, I will ALWAYS be with you. You're my reason for living." Eren starts crying too, and Annie wraps her arms around his neck and cries into his shoulders.

They regain their composure after a few minutes, and walk back to the house. Everyone is silent for a while.

"So," Annie finally speaks, "Tell us about yourself, Joel"

"She must be trying to take her mind off things."

"Well, I've been traveling alone all this time. My village didn't take too kindly to my differences. So I've just been roaming the world, helping whoever needs it." Joel explains. "I've yet to meet anyone else like me until I found you two. Seeing you gives me hope that this world will turn out okay."

These words make Annie feel a little better. Eren notices this, and tries to keep the momentum going.

"You know who we'll have to introduce him to, Annie?" Eren asks with a mischievous smile on his face. 

"Who?" Annie wonders.

"Hange!" Eren answers.

Annie laughs a little bit by thinking of Hange's reaction to another friendly Abnormal.

"What are you guys talking about?" Joel asks nervously.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough..." Annie giggles.

"So..." Joel tries to shake off that ominous statement. "I was wondering if I could stay with you guys."

"Sure! That is, if Annie agrees to it." Eren looks over to her.

"Fine by me." She says.

"Oh! Great! Would you like me to cook dinner?" Joel is excited.

"Sure, go ahead!" Eren is glad to get out of that chore.

"I've had lots of practice, so I hope it's to your liking!" He runs to the cooking area and begins preparations.

"Well, we got another roommate. Isn't this exciting?" Eren asks.

"Yeah, our last one was certainly an experience." Annie teases.

"Oh, hey..." Eren whispers something into her ear, and her eyes light up.

"Yeah, let's do that!" She smiles.

"Hey, Joel!" Eren calls.

"Yeah?"

Annie finishes Eren's sentence.

"We call top bunk!"

"DAMMIT!"


	42. Rite of Passage

Eren and Annie stir out of sleep, and hear a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen setup. Eren turns his head to see Joel cooking breakfast. He hops out of bed and wipes his eyes, and Annie sits up with disheveled hair. She shifts it from out of her eyes with a lazy move of her hand.

"You didn't have to get up early." Eren feels a little sorry for Joel. "Or make the food."

"Oh! No, I normally get up this early, and I'm happy to do it!" Joel shakes off Eren's concern, he hates making people worry about him.

"What are you making anyway?" Eren is eager for the meal.

"Eggs."

"Right! I forgot that I stopped by Reg's place a few days ago." Eren laughs.

"Okay, how would you like them to be prepared?" Joel asks.

"I'll have them Over Hard, please." Eren places his order.

"Scrambled..." Annie mumbles.

Eren hops up on their bed and looks at Annie.

"You must be pretty tired, huh?" Eren teases.

"Mmm... Shut up..." Annie groans.

"Oh, that's alright." Eren grins while pinching her cheek. "We can get some more sleep after breakfast if you want."

"No... I'll be fine... Just a few more minutes..." Annie grabs Eren's arm and rests her head on his thigh and falls asleep again. He lets her rest for a few minutes.

"Food's ready!" Joel calls.

"Uh... Can you bring it here?" Eren whispers.

Joel walks over with the plates, and raises them up to Eren. He takes them and places them on the bed. Eren pokes Annie's face to wake her up. She sits up, and starts eating in a very groggy fashion. Eren chows down and finishes his meal in a minute. The carbs seem to have woken Annie up.

"Psst. I think it's time." Eren tells Annie, out of Joel's hearing.

"I agree." Annie says.

Joel finishes his eggs just in time for Eren and Annie to each grab an arm, and start pulling him towards the city.   
"Uh... Where are we going?" Joel asks, his voice wrought with fear.

"You'll see..." Annie says.

"It's something we all must endure." Eren continues.

"Oh God, is this a cult?" Joel thinks.

They walk through the barracks and head towards Hange's room, whose door is open.

Hange is laying on her bed, kicking her legs in the air.

"WHAT. IS. THAT?????" Annie screams.

Hange is startled and jumps in fright. She stares at Annie, and follows her eyes to the portrait of Eren and Annie holding hands.

"Oh! That'snothingdon'tworryaboutitlet'sgosomewhereelseshallwe?" Hange shoos everyone out of her room and closes the door. "So, what are you here fo-" Joel catches her eye. "Who's this?"

"Well, this is someone who we figured needed to spend some time with you." Eren grins maniacally.

"Do you mean..."

"Yup." Annie answers.

"Ohmygod. And he's friendly too?!?!"

"I try to be..." Joel is anxious about what this woman wants with him.

"Oh boy! Ok! Come with me!" Hange grabs Joel and starts pulling him away.

"Guys?" Joel whimpers as he's being dragged away for who knows what kind of experiments.

"It had to be done." Eren says.

"It builds character." Annie adds.

They look at each other and break out laughing. They walk over to Armin's room. Eren looks in, and instantly pulls his head out. Annie sees that Eren's face is bright red, and she peeks in to see why. She pulls her head out and she is covering her mouth, trying not to laugh. Inside the room, are Armin and Mikasa still asleep, and Armin has his mouth open and his face buried in Mikasa's hair. Mikasa is curled up in a ball.

"Stay here." He whispers to Annie. Eren walks to the supply room, and grabs a piece of paper and a pen. He writes something on it, and tiptoes into Armin's room. He places the note on Mikasa's forehead.

Hey you two,

We saw this.

Yeah, be embarrassed.

Love, Eren and Annie

They scamper off back to their cabin, and lay on their bed.

"What was that thing hanging in Hange's room?" Eren asks.

"It was a portrait of us in titan form, holding hands on Wall Rose..." Annie answers.

"How the hell did she get that?"

"I don't even know." She sighs. "If it makes her happy we might as well let her keep it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They keep talking for hours until...

*Slam*

In walks Joel, visibly exhausted and disheveled. He collapses on his bed.

"You guys are jerks."

"Hey, we all had to go through it." Eren says.

"Uggggghhhhhh..." Joel moans.

"Well, goodnight!" Annie smiles.

"I CAN'T SLEEP!"


	43. Traveling On

"Guys, I think it's time for me to be moving on now." Joel says.

"What? Why?" Eren is shocked.

"It's a feeling I got, I guess. Like there's somewhere else I have to be, and something I need to do." Joel elaborates.

"We'll miss you." Eren says.

"And I'll miss you too, but I'm sure that, out there somewhere, there's a person that needs my help, that needs to be saved, and not many are willing or able to stand up to the Titans. Besides, you guys are all this city needs." Joel continues.

"You're right that there are people in danger out there, and I guess we have done a pretty good job of protecting the city." Annie adds.

"You guys have shown me more kindness than anyone I've ever met, even if it was somewhat cruel at times, I'm still sore from yesterday. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I'll never forget you two, and I am grateful to have met you." Joel tries to keep the mood light, while still saying what he needs to say. 

"Oh, come here you." Annie walks over to Joel and gives him a big hug and says. "I know how it feels to be an outcast, to think that no one cares about you. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone who will love you more than anyone in this world. I know I did, and you will too."

"Thanks, I certainly hope so." Joel replies.

Eren walks up to him, and also gives him a hug.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" He requests.

"Of course not, I'll be around." Joel promises. He grabs a little meal that he made for the road, and says a final goodbye to the two.

"I guess I'll drop by and say 'bye' to Hange, despite what she put me through." Joel starts walking towards the city.

"Well, we lost another roommate..." Eren sighs.

"It was refreshing to meet a shifter that was on our side for once." Annie says.

"I don't know why, but I DO have a feeling that we'll be seeing him again." Eren prophesizes.

"Yeah, same here..." Annie agrees without fully understanding why.

Joel is walking through the barracks, and makes his way to Hange's door. He knocks, and Levi opens the door.

"Oh! Am I interrupting something?" Joel is flustered.

"Oh Lord no!" Levi quickly explains. "No, we were just... Um..."

"We were cuddling!" Hange yells.

"Oh, wow. Look at his face." Joel thinks.

Levi's face turns a shade of red akin to that of a tomato. "Well, I can never show my face around here again." He says as he puts one leg on the ground outside Hange's window.

"Oh, no you don't!" Hange runs and grabs him to stop him from escaping. "Everyone knows already, anyway."

"Wh-what?"

"Nope! His face got even redder."

"Anyway..." Joel cuts in, trying to save Levi some embarrassment. "I just wanted to tell you I was leaving, for some reason."

"You don't know why you're leaving?" Hange is puzzled.

"No, I don't know why I wanted to tell you after the torture you put me through!" Joel teases.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Hange apologizes. "You're my third baby, you know?"

"I know..." Joel sighs.

She holds her arms out for a hug, and Joel begrudgingly accepts it.

"Aww... I'll miss you..." Hange tries not to cry.

"I'll be back, I feel it. I just don't know when." Joel swears.

"Ok, don't take too long." Hange asks.

"Alright, it's a deal, I'll leave you two to each other now." He laughs.

Levi groans out of embarrassment, and Joel closes the door. He rounds a corner, and bumps into a girl with long, reddish, hair. His meal falls to the ground, still safe in it's package.

"What is that?" The girl asks, her mouth drooling.

"Just a meal I made..." Joel is nervous.

"Can I have it?" She asks.

"Sure, I can make another, I guess..."

"Oh!" She says, already chowing down. "My name's Sasha!"

"Nice to meet you, Sasha! I'm Joel!"


	44. Fusion

"Good Morning!"

Eren wakes up to find Annie kneeling on the bed and looking down at him.

"Good Morning!" He replies with fervor.

"Let's go to the lake today!" Annie proposes.

"Sounds like fun!" Eren agrees.

They walk to the lake where they spent so much time together, and look at the water and appreciate its beauty.

"Look at the way the water shimmers... It's beautiful." Annie murmurs.

"That water's got nothing on you." Eren turns to Annie, and kisses her.

*CHOMP*

*PHWOOM*

"What the...?"

"Eren? What are you doing in my mind?"

"Wait? You heard that? No! You heard me think that?"

"What's going on??"

Eren looks down to see a very, well... Female chest on him, and what's more, the ground is much further away.

"Why do I have... These?" Eren freaks out about his altered... Anatomy. "And why am I a titan???"

"What do you mean?? This is my body, I figured that'd be obvious. Wait!! Why do I have skin? I'm normally all muscle!"

Annie tries to walk to the lakeside, but falls down, she tries to get up, but her hand doesn't move.

"What the...?"

"Annie, why am I moving?"

She eventually makes her way to the water, and looks in.

"What. The. Shit??"

In the reflection provided by the water, is an unfamiliar face. She has sharp, green eyes,with a very familiar scar running across one of them, and teeth with no lips surrounding them or gums bordering them. She also has spiky black hair.

"Is that... Me?"

Eren sees what looks like his face in the water, but it's different... He has a soft chin and nose.

"Why do I look more...feminine??"

"Why do I look more masculine?"

"Wait, Annie... Try to move your hand."

"Okay...What?? I can't!!"

"That's what I thought... Try now."

Her hand immediately moves upwards.

"What??"

The skin on her arm suddenly crystallizes.

"I didn't do that!"

"Annie, this might sound crazy... But I think we're in the same body."

"WHAT!?!?"

"We can hear each other's thoughts, I had to help you move your hand, (well, our hand), and we don't look like either one of our bodies, but a combination."

"Well, how do we get out??"

"I don't know... This sounds like a job for Hange!"

"How do we get there? We're not exactly pros at using this body. And how much do we have control over?"

"I think we both control all of it, so our commands have to be the same."

"That's gonna take some getting used to..."

"Yeah, let's try taking a few steps..."

"Alright."

Suddenly both legs move forward and they fall to the ground.

"Perhaps we should specify which leg we start with..."

"Good idea. Ok, let's push up with our arms and lean back on our knees."

They do just that.

"Alright, let's stand with our right foot."

They are standing upright now.

"Okay, let's start walking with the right foot."

"Okay..."

They take a shaky step, then another, then another and another until they are walking slowly. They see a 15m titan walking towards them.

"What do you want to do, Annie?"

"Let's kill it, of course!"

"Right fist?"

"Sure!"

They wait until it gets right in front of them, then they pull their fist back, and unleash a powerful punch. The 15m's head is obliterated, and it's body goes flying.

"Holy Shit!!"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, Eren."

"I guess we are extra powerful when we are together like this."

"Don't forget we also have my crystal ability."

"Oh yeah, that feels weird..."

"No it doesn't!"

"You're probably just used to it by now. Anyway, we do need help getting out of this."

"You're right, let's get back to Hange."

They begin walking, rather successfully, and pass the cabin. They stumble and grab a tree for support. The pressure they apply is so great it crushes the tree.

"Wow!"

"Hey, are we like, 5m taller?"

"Yeah, I think so..."

By this point, they are walking like they've been practicing for hours.

"Wow, this is easy, huh Annie?"

"Yeah! I guess we've got that natural synergy!"

Wall Rose is in sight.

"The guards won't recognize us."

They manage to climb up the wall, and hop down into the city. They walk slowly as to not alarm anyone. They tap on the roof. Hange walks out.

"Another???" Her eyes light up.

They shake their head.

"Wait a minute..." She stares closer. "You can't be someone I've seen before, but you have Eren's mouth and eyes... and the scar..."

They crystallize their hands.

"WHAT!!! ARE YOU BOTH IN THERE?"

They nod.

"This is fascinating! We have to run tests immediately!"

"Oh... Annie I'm so sorry..."

"I'm sorry too, but we have to get through this together."

"Here we go again...."


	45. Adaptation

"Well, let's see what you two can do!" Hange begins the tests.

"Well, Eren, so it begins...."

"I hate her tests..."

"I don't even see the point of most of them, it's like she just has fun inflicting pain upon us."

"What are you guys doing, just standing around there? Let's go outside!"

"Uggggghhhhhh..."

"Ok. Jump!"

They jump into the air, and start flailing their arms and legs trying to regain control, but they land flat on their face.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Hange bursts out laughing.

"Seriously? She's doing this?"

"Yeah, that's not very cool."

While still lying on the ground, they look right into Hange's eyes, and raise their middle finger at her. This only makes her laugh harder. They get up, and jump 20 ft over her and land gracefully.

"Wow! That was really high! Good job you two!" Hange praises them. "Now, you must be stronger, right?"

They nod their head.

"Alright! Let's run some tests anyway!"

"Seriously?"

"I think she just likes being with us."

"Well, let's see what you can do! Leviiiiiii! Can you get the Corps, pleeeeaaaaaase?"

After a minute or two, Levi comes out with all of the Survey Corps.

"Well, at least we're all being tormented..."

"Alright! All of you! Start cutting slowly and try to find out where they are!"

"Am I hallucinating??"

"Did she just say that?"

Hange looks up to them and says, "I put you guys through enough when you weren't in the same body, I'll let you off the hook this time." She winks.

"AAAAAAHH!"

Eren and Annie both wince as swords start pricking and slicing their skin. They feel the people crawling on their skin like ants.

"H-hey! Sasha! Get off of there!"

They pull Sasha off their chest, but then go limp.

"Found them!" Armin calls.

Between the shoulder blades, Eren and Annie resting with their legs bent and foreheads touching.

"Hey guys." Mikasa whispers.

"We saw this."

"Yeah, be embarrassed." Armin finishes. They high five and pull the two out.

"That was really tiring!" Eren sighs.

"Yeah, I'm beat... Let's go home." Annie seconds.

"Thanks for the help everyone!" Eren calls out to the Corps.

"You bet!" Hange answers. "Get some rest now!"

They make their way back home, stumbling the whole time they're walking. They walk through the door, and don't even reach the bed before they collapse.

"Phew.. That IS exhausting." Annie gasps.

"Y-yeah..."

"Why did that happen anyway?"

"I think we bit each other while we were kissing..." Eren hypothesizes. "Sorry..."

"Are you kidding?? That was awesome!" Annie yells.

"I'm glad you think so! I kinda found it fun, too!"

*Knock Knock*

"Visitors? Now?" Annie moans.

"I got it..."

Eren shuffles to the door, and opens it to find a guy standing outside, rather dirty.

"Hi! I believe we have something in common!" The stranger smiles.

Eren looks over to Annie, and they groan in unison:

"Another one..."


	46. Another One...

"Uh... Haha. My name's Rin. Nice to meet you!" He introduces himself.

"Hey there, you'll excuse our lack of enthusiasm, we've seen A LOT of shifters recently." Eren explains.

"Oh! So you know that I'm one, then." Rin is surprised.

"Yes, we do." Annie mutters into the floor since she is still laying on it.

Rin has kind of spiky, silver hair, and gray eyes. He has a fairly strong chin, and strangely pointy teeth.

"Hey, do you have any meat around here?" Rin wonders.

"Come again?" Eren is taken aback by this question.

"Y'know, meat!"

"Uh... We should have some jerky in the storage room..."

"You don't say? May I have some?" Rin's mouth starts watering.

"Sure, thanks for asking, I know someone who could learn a thing or two from you." Eren smiles.

"Who? Sasha?" Annie asks.

"Yeah! Oh, Rin, that jerky may be pretty dry. It might be hard to eat. Believe me, I tried it once." Eren warns.

"Nah, it's alright, I got this." Rin says as he chomps down on the jerky. He tears it in half quickly with his teeth and swallows it in seconds.

"Woah..."

"What? This isn't too hard..." Rin says nonchalantly.

"Dude... I couldn't tear that apart with my hands..." Eren states.

"Eh. I can eat it just fine."

"Well maybe we should introduce him to Sasha tomorrow." Annie suggests.

"Yeah, they might get along well..." Eren laughs.

"So, what do you guys look like as titans?" Rin asks.

"I've got black hair, and green eyes. I don't have lips and I guess I have a strong chin." Eren describes himself.

"And he's got huge muscles, too!" Annie chimes in.

Eren blushes.

"I'm mostly muscle tissue with a kind of cartilage surrounding my mid areas." Annie describes herself now. "I've also got the same blonde hair."

"Oh really? I'm pretty much all muscle, I've got the same hair, too, I've got razor sharp teeth and claws, and I can armor myself." Rin explains.   
"I can turn my skin to crystal." Annie says.

"Oh! That's cool!" Rin is excited. "Do you have any special abilities, Eren?"

"Nah, I'm pretty basic."

"Oh... Well, do you think you can show me what you look like outside?" Rin asks.

"Oh no... We're far too tired for that..."  
Annie denies his request.

"Why?"

"Oh, I guess we'll show you tomorrow!" Eren delights in knowing that they'll blow his mind. He winks at Annie. She looks over at the bed, and nods her head towards Rin.

"Oh, hey Rin?" Eren says.

 

.......

 

 

"DAMMIT!"


	47. Re-Creation

Annie wakes up to find Eren's lips on her forehead.

"It's time to get up!" He explains.

"Mmm... Okay..." Annie groans.

"Yeah, guys! I want to see what your titans look like!" Rin is really eager to start the day. "Let's go, already!"

"Do you want to get changed first, Annie?" Eren asks.

"No, I'll just wear this." She motions to her baggy sweatpants and plain, white, t-shirt. Rin opens the door and walks outside. The two follow close after.

"Alright, you ready to blow his mind?" Eren smirks.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Annie grins.

*psst! Where should we bite?* Eren is unsure of what to do.

*Let's just try the arm...* Annie suggests.

Annie wraps her arm around Eren's, and they raise their hands up.

"Ooh! I didn't know they were together! And that's pretty cute how they wrap their arms together before they bite their hand!"

Eren and Annie bite the other's arm at the same time.

*PHWOOOM!*

The smoke clears, and Rin gets a full view of the result.

"WOAH!! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?? I've never seen anything like THAT before! Well, now mine seems a little lame..."

Rin bites his hand and shifts as well. His description of himself was pretty accurate. He has spiky gray hair and eyes, with even sharper teeth and dangerous looking claws. He stands at about 17m, which is still 3m shorter than Eren and Annie when fused.

"You ready to teach the rookie a lesson?" Eren asks through their telepathy.

"Always!"

Rin rushes towards them, going in for a punch to the gut with his claws.

"Hey, let's crystallize our stomach!" Annie proposes.

"Got it!"

Sure enough, Rin lands the blow, but not on the surface he was expecting, his claws break off on his left hand. He goes for a diagonal slash, but they raise their crystal arm. He hits the armor, his hand rebounds, and his claws break again. He grabs their arm with his hands and tries to bite it with his teeth, but the crystal holds.

"Huh! I guess our crystal is stronger..." Annie notices.

"You're welcome!" Eren teases.

"Shut up and work with me."

They raise their fist, and bring it down on Rin's head. His teeth get smashed and he backs away in shock. They lift him over their head and start walking to the barracks to get back to normal.

"Rin doesn't know where we are, and we are too muscular to reach our back."

*A few minutes later*

"That's not very fair!" Rin whines.

"You're right! We creamed you!" Eren smirks.

"How long till you can go again?" Rin asks, anxious to prove himself.

"Whoa! Slow down there! That was really tiring. I think we're done for today, seeing as we still haven't recovered from yesterday." Annie stops Rin in his tracks.

"Aww... Well, is there any meat around here?" Rin sighs.

"Probably not, Sasha would be your best bet."

Eren refers him to where her room is. Rin walks up and knocks on the door.

"MHMMM! *GULP* Come in!" She calls.

Rin opens the door and looks at Sasha.   
"Whoa... She's REALLY pretty..."

"Ahem! I was wondering if you had any meat that I could have!" Rin asks shyly.

"All I've got is this jerky that's way too hard..." Sasha says.

"Challenge accepted!" Rin demolishes it within a few seconds.

"Whoa! This guy's serious about eating!"

"So," Sasha starts, "Do you like food?"

"Oh yes!" Rin answers in earnest.

"I LOVE food! My name's Sasha! It's nice to MEAT you!" She laughs.

"My name's Rin!" He smiles, VERY glad to have met her.


	48. Affection

"Hey, guys, can you tell me about Sasha?" Rin shyly asks.

"Oh, sure." Eren is surprised. "Well, she likes food a LOT."

"Who doesn't?" The greater reality of the situation is lost on Rin.

"No, you don't understand. She REALLY. LIKES. FOOD!" Eren pushes the point across by stopping after each word.

"Oh. But how is she so skinny?" Rin wonders.

"Beats me... I'm jealous." Annie frowns.

"Oh please, you're perfect!" Eren compliments her.

"Aww. Thank you!" She plants a kiss on his lips.

Rin feels an emotion come over him as he sees the couple doting on each other. Is it jealousy of Eren? No, he's not the type to want to steal someone's girl, that's roughly twenty violations in the Bro Code, the ancient Brodex passed down from generation to generation since ancient Broman times. His mind finally focuses on what this emotion actually is.

Loneliness. The kind that can't be filled by mere friends, he needs a deeper relationship that can only be found in the arms of a woman whom he loves. He looks back to the happy couple.

"That's what I want!" Rin affirms to himself.

"Hey guys, is there any place that I can get a steak or two?" Rin inquires.

"Yeah! Just walk through Wall Maria on the way to Wall Rose, and you should come upon Reg's farm. Mention us and he might give you one for free!" Eren instructs him.

"Thanks! I gotta go now! See you later!" Rin sprints out of the cabin.

"Where do you think he's going?" Eren is puzzled.

"Oh, I've got an idea..." Annie smiles. 

Rin finds the farm with no trouble, and he knocks on the door. A familiar face appears once it opens.

"Howdy! What can I do for you?" Reggie is always happy to see a new face.

"H-hey! Eren and Annie tell me that you might be able to sell me a steak or two?" Rin questions.

"Oh, well if you're friends of those two, it's on the house! How's that cute couple doing?" Reggie asks as he gets two prime ribs from storage.

"They're doing pretty good, they're pretty lovey-dovey." Rin chuckles.

"Yeah! I'm glad to hear they haven't changed!" Reg grins. "Well, here you go! What's the occasion?"

"I'm hoping to get a date tonight!"

"Wow! Good luck!" Reg wishes him the best.

"Thanks! I gotta run and find someone to cook these!" He bolts out the door.

He runs the whole way to the barracks, and goes straight to Levi's room. He knocks.

"Yes?" Levi asks as he opens the door.

"Where is your cook?" Rin wonders.

"We got a new one, he should be in the kitchen around the hall." Levi answers and shuts the door.

"...thanks." Rin mumbles to the closed door. He makes his way to the kitchen, and greets the chef. "Hi! I was wondering if you could cook something for me?"

"I'd love to! Anything I can do to help!" He starts up the fire. "What do you have for me?"

"Get a load of this." Rin plops the steaks down on the counter.

"Woah! Where'd you get these?" He is shocked.

"A little farm in between Maria and Rose." Rin answers.

"Ok, where have you been staying, I've never seen you around here before." He makes small talk while the steaks cook.

"I've been living in a little cabin in the forest with Eren and Annie."

"Oh! You must be another shifter then! My name's Joel! It's nice to meet you."

"Joel? They told me you left!"

"I was going to, but my aptitude for cooking was discovered, and I figured that I'd be doing more good by feeding the whole Survey Corps than by doing whatever I would do alone."

"Oh."

"So, what's the occasion?" Joel asks.

"I'm hoping these will get me a date."

"Oh! With who?"

"Sasha..." Rin blushes.

"Haha! She'll love it!" Joel tries to bolster his courage. He takes the steak off the fire and hands it to him on a plate.

"Ok, thanks!" Rin runs off.

"What's that smell??" Sasha detects the aroma of the steak from her room. She opens the door to find Rin standing outside, about to knock. She looks down to see the steaks on the plates.

"Come in, now!!" She pulls him in by his shirt.

She sits down on her bed, and pats next to her, signaling him to sit down. Rin gladly obeys. She starts eating quickly.

"Uh... How have you been?" Rin asks.

"Pretty good! Better now!" She says with her mouth full.

"I'm glad to hear that!" Rin smiles. He rips into his steak, and Sasha stares with mouth agape at his eating skills.

"Why are your teeth so sharp?" Sasha asks.

"I'm a titan shifter!" Rin explains.

"Wow! That's so awesome!!" Sasha is captivated. "Do your eyes stay that color?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Good, they look really pretty."

Rin summons up all of his courage in this moment.

"Well... You look really pretty, too..."

"Awwwwww! That's so sweet!" Sasha blushes. "Come here you!" She grabs him and presses her head against his chest in a hug.

"Well, it's only true..." Rin blushes even brighter.

*A few hours later*

Rin marches into the cabin triumphantly, with his chin held high, and a grin access his face.

"Well? How'd it go?" Annie asks.

Rin lets the suspense build up, even though they can tell it went well.

"We've got another date lined up for tomorrow!" Rin yells.

"Yeah!"

"You go Rin!" They cheer for him.

"Yeah! Thanks!"

They sit and talk about the details for a little bit.

"Well, I'm really tired..." Eren yawns.

"Yeah, it's time for bed." Annie agrees to the consensus.

"Good night, Rin, and congratulations!" Eren pumps him up.   
Rin gets into his bed, and falls asleep smiling...


	49. The Second Date

Eren wakes up, and quietly gets out of bed, so as not to wake up Annie. He looks at Rin's bed to find it empty.

"I guess he wanted to get prepared for his date. But it's tonight, not this morning..." Eren finds his dedication noble.

Rin walks to the kitchen to get Joel to start on the meal. He's pulling out all the stops.

"Hey Joel! Can you do me a huge favor?" Rin pleads.

"What is it?" Joel seems happy to help. Almost, eager.

"I need a large meal for my date with Sasha. Like, a feast." Rin explains.

"Hmm. Alright! On one condition..." Joel smiles.

"Anything!"

Joel's smile turns malicious as Hange reveals herself.

"Oh God! No! I've heard stories!" Rin cries, unable to accept his fate. "No, you HAVE to do this. For her!"

He takes a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

"You're a stronger man than I." Joel praises him. "It's a Rite of Passage. We all must endure it. Take solace in the fact that you get something in return." He offers his advice.

"Thank you." Hange walks over and grabs his arm to start pulling him away. "No. I can find my way on my own." He greets destiny like an equal with his head held high, and walks into the imminent trials.

"What a brave man... Anyway, a deal's a deal. I better get started." Joel lights up the fires. He places potatoes in a dish and prepares to serve them Au Gratin (with a melted cheese and milk sauce). He starts sizzling some chicken in a pan. He also puts some sweet potatoes in the oven and gets out the brown sugar to put on top once they're done. He checks to make sure that some Creme Brulee is still in the freezer from yesterday. He gathers some berries to put on top of it. He pulls out two mugs for their beverages.

Meanwhile, Sasha is watching Rin run through Hange's tests.

"Wow! His teeth are even MORE sharp now! He looks pretty cute as a titan, too! Ooh! Those claws!" Sasha swoons.   
Her presence motivates Rin to work even harder. He pushes through every experiment with renewed fervor.

He finishes an hour later.

"Hey, Sasha! Do you mind taking him out?" Hange requests.

"I'd love to!" She hops up and crawls up his back. She slices his neck open and pulls him out. She cradles him in her arms. "Oh, someone's tired... Let's get you some rest." She carries him to her room. She pulls back the covers and tucks him in.

Sasha leaves him to his nap, and goes to check on the meal.

"Hey, Joel! What's cookin'?"

"Oh... I don't know..." Joel keeps it a mystery. "Don't look or you can't have any."

"Ok. I'll wait!" Sasha smiles.

"This is some remarkable self control you're showing!" Joel is surprised.

"It's worth the wait!" She smiles.

She goes back to her room 30 minutes later, and nudges Rin awake. He looks around at his surroundings, and realizes where he is. The blood rushes to his cheeks.

"Uhh..." Rin starts to panic.

"Shhhhhhh" Sasha puts her finger on his lips. "Dinner's ready!" She smiles and helps him out of her bed. They sit down on the same side of the table, and start to engorged themselves on their feast.

"Everything is delicious!" Sasha compliments Joel.

"Thanks! I worked hard on it!"

"We can tell!" Rin adds.

They finish their meal and return to her room.

"Ugh... I'm too tired and too full to move..." Rin moans.

"Haha! That means I'll have you all to myself for the night!" Sasha grins. She puts him in the bed again, gets in with him, and nuzzles up close to him.

"Oh no... Stop..." Rin says, obviously not serious, and enjoying it.

He falls asleep in just a few minutes. Sasha follows soon after.

Erwin walks by and notices the two.

"Damn! A lot of kids are falling in love lately."


	50. Relation

"Hey, did I ever mention that I have a sister?" Rin brings up the topic.

"No! What's she like?" Eren is curious.   
"She's a shifter as well, and since we're siblings, we pretty much have the same attributes, but she's a girl." Rin describes his Lil sis.

"Well, we'd certainly like to meet her!" Annie smiles.

"Funny you should say that!" Rin jumps at the opportunity. "She wants to come visit, and I was wondering if she could stay here!"

"Well, we only have room for one of you..." Eren explains.

"That's okay! I was going to stay with Sasha, anyway!" Rin grins.

"Good for you, bud! I'm proud of you!" Eren pats him on the back.

"Yeah, congratulations!" Annie adds.

"Thanks! Yuto's her name. She's been here for about an hour, but I wanted to ask you first." Rin chuckles.

Yuto steps into the cabin. She has red eyes, and silver hair like Rin's, that comes down to her hips in a ponytail. She looks to be about the same height as Sasha.

"Nice to meet you!" She introduces herself. "I look forward to staying with you!"

"Same!" Eren welcomes her.

"Now, I wonder." Annie ponders. "Would you two be able to fuse?"

"Rin, what is she talking about?" Yuto's unsure.

"Oh, you'll see!" Rin jumps around on his feet in excitement. "I'd like to try if you're up for it, Yuto!"

"Are you feeling well enough for it, Eren?" Annie asks.

"Oh, sure! Let's do it!" Eren runs out of the cabin, and waits for everyone else.

"Alright guys, watch what we do, and replicate it." Annie instructs. She grabs the back of Eren's neck with one hand and brings him in for an emotional, passionate kiss.

"Uhh, do we have to do that?" Yuto queries.

"Haha, no! I'm just messing with you." Annie laughs. "I think as long as you bite the other person and they bite you, it works."

"Yeah, watch!" Eren grabs Annie's forearm and she grabs his.

*CHOMP*

*PHWOOM*

"WHOA!" Yuto shouts.

"Haha! I know right?" Rin understands her awe. "You ready to give it a go?"

"Sure! Let's try..." She whispers something in his ear.

"Ok!"

They stand looking at each other, trying build up the courage to harm their sibling. They take a deep breath and...

*CHOMP*

"Damn! They went right for the side of their necks!" Eren is stunned.

"And with those teeth, too!"

*PHWOOM*

Their fused titan looks like a man this time. Their hair is short and gray. Their eyes are a swirling mixture of red and gray. Most notably, however, their claws and teeth are longer and sharper.

Eren and Annie raise their fists up. Rin and Yuto try to take a step forward, but fall flat on their face.

"Knew that was coming, Annie!"

"Yeah, they'll probably not get the hang of it as fast as we did."

Eren and Annie sit down on the grass and wait for Rin and Yuto to get their bearings. Within the hour they are walking like pros, but they collapse from exhaustion. Eren and Annie pick them up, and carry them to Hange to work her magic and find where they reside in this body.

"Hey, this looks like Rin! But, he's different..." Hange exclaims.

Eren and Annie point to themselves, and Hange gets the message.

"Ahhh! Another fusion! Fascinating! We'll get them out, don't worry!" Hange promises.

She calls in the Corps, and they start climbing all over Rin and Yuto. They get poked by swords a few times and their armor ability is triggered, but they manage to control themselves. Sasha finds them laying in the titan's neck, and pulls them both out.

"Oh! Hey, Sasha!" Rin's face lights up. "Thanks for getting us out of there!"

"I'm always happy to help you!" Sasha boops his nose.

"Sasha, this is my sister, Yuto." Rin introduces the two to each other.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Rin." Yuto shakes Sasha's hand.

"Likewise! He's told me a lot about his little sister!" Sasha smiles.

"Hey! I heard we had another shifter!" Joel yells, running out of the kitchen. "Who is..." He takes one look at Yuto and becomes silent. "H-hey, m-my name's Joel..."

"Hi, Joel! I'm Yuto!" She finds him kinda cute.

"W-well, if you need any help finding your way around here, come find me and I'll see what I can do..."

Joel is about to scamper off when a guard breaks through the door of the barracks' courtyard.

"TITANS ARE INSIDE WALL SINA!" He screams.

"What? How is that possible? There are no titans inside Wall Rose!" Hange asks.

Suddenly, a massive shadow falls over the city. Everyone looks up to see a colossal, winged creature flying over the city, silhouetted by the sun.


	51. Dragons Aren't Supposed To Be Real

All that can be seen is a silhouette of a massive creature with segmented wings. It glides ominously over the city. In its claws a titan can be seen. It drops the titan inside Wall Sina.

"Oh God..."

"This is the end..."

"We don't stand a chance!"

"I don't want to die!"

Cries of terror come from people all around the barracks and all over the city.

"Pull yourselves together!" Erwin shouts above everyone. "We have civilians in danger! Are we going to let them be eaten?"

"No, sir!" Eren steps out of the crowd, and Annie steps up next to him.

"I like these people too much!" Joel joins them.

"I'll protect you, Sasha!" Rin commits himself.

"I have to protect Rin!" Sasha grabs his arm, and stands beside him.

"I can't leave my brother to have all the fun!" Yuto grins.

"Well, glad we have so many powerful allies on our side!" Erwin is relieved. "Let's go bring that beast down from the sky!"

*CRACK*

Everyone's attention is turned towards the jail inside Wall Sina, as it is ripped off of its foundation and carried off by the flying titan.

"That had the Bladed, Burrowing, AND Four-armed titan inside it!" Hange cries.

"This is bad..." Joel trembles.

Eren can feel Annie grip his hand tighter. He pulls her closer to his side.

"There's nothing to worry about." He whispers. "I'll always protect you."

Annie's feels her resolve being strengthened.

"And I'll never let anything happen to you." She whispers to Eren.

"Well, it appears that the Flying Titan is gone. We still need to dispatch the titans that are inside the walls!" Erwin commands.

"Follow me, Survey Corps!" Levi gets on his horse and rides.

"You guys are probably tired from being fused, so I'll take care of this one. You get some rest, okay?" Joel heads off with the Survey Corps.

Eren, Annie, Rin, and Yuto are left standing in the courtyard, admittedly exhausted.

"There were Abnormals imprisoned in there?" Rin asks.

"Yeah, they weren't as friendly as you guys." Eren says.

"They tried to kill us." Annie adds.

"What are they like?" Yuto questions.

"The first one had a sword. He wasn't so tough." Annie describes it.

"That was an easy fight! It's also where we discovered our feelings for each other." Eren winks.

"Stay focused." Annie blushes and taps him in the side with her elbow. "The other two attacked us together, one had claws like both of you, but no sharp teeth, and the other had four arms."

"That one was pretty close..." Eren shudders at the thought of almost losing Annie.

"They don't sound that tough!" Rin says boldly.

"You'll find out that they are very cunning." Annie warns.

"We'll all need to start training immediately if we want to defeat them all." Eren affirms.

"You're right." Rin nods. "We have to start tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get back home." Annie says.

They walk through Wall Rose. Everything is eerily quiet and still. Nothing living can be found. Nothing dead either. Like they're all hiding. They pass through Wall Maria, and make their way to the cabin.

"Wha-"

It's been utterly destroyed. Splinters of wood lie strewn about the ground. The pieces of the titan skull that hung above the fireplace are scattered around. The frame of the bunk beds can be seen, smashed and discarded.

Annie falls to the ground thinking of all the memories that she and Eren shared in that cabin. She starts crying and Eren kneels down and holds her close.

"We can rebuild the cabin exactly like it was. I'm just glad we weren't inside of it when it happened." Eren consoles her.

"We need to get back to the city." Rin whispers. "They know where you lived, there are four of them out there, and they could be lurking around here somewhere."

Eren helps Annie up, and wipes a tear away from her eye. They run back to the barracks. The Corps had returned from their mission to kill all the titans inside Wall Sina.

"Wow! That Joel is an awesome fighter as well as a great cook!" Connie praises him.

Joel smiles to himself, knowing that he's doing greater good here than he could on his own.

"Uh... Yuto?" Rin starts.

"Yes?" Yuto responds.

"I've been staying with Sasha during the nights, so that's where I'll be." Rin is afraid of Yuto's response. 

"You haven't been... Doing anything... Have you?" Yuto probes and Rin knew this was a mistake.

"No! Of course not! That's disgusting!"

"Hmmm." Yuto stares for a second. "Okay! If you say so! But where will I stay?" She wonders.

"Joel's got a spare bed in the room for kitchen staff. You can stay there tonight." Levi informs her.

"Uh..." Joel is too frightened to say whether he approves or not. He's too frightened to KNOW whether he approves or not.

"Okay! I'll get ready and I'll see you in our room Joel!" She walks to the bathroom with a cute pep in her step.

"Pull yourself together, Joel! She's perfect so don't mess this up!" He gives himself advice.

Yuto steps out of the bathroom and says, "Your turn!" Then she goes into their room and falls into her bed. Joel prepares to go to bed as well, and gets in his own bed.

"You're very pretty..." He mumbles.

"Oh crap! I hope she didn't hear that!"

"Thanks! You're pretty cute!" Yuto giggles. "Goodnight!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt??"

Joel is stunned beyond the ability to think. His mind shuts down and he falls asleep.


	52. Preparation

*Lore: When fusing, the gender of the body will be determined by who is strongest, either physically, or in personality.*

Eren wakes up and looks over to Annie, who has her leg wrapped around his body. She looks sad, or like she's missing something.

"What's wrong, Annie?" Eren worries.   
"Oh. I'm just being sentimental about our cabin being destroyed." She sniffs.

"Yeah, we had a lot of great memories in that place. And out in the forest, too." Eren remembers the time they spent together.

"Yeah... Like when you told me that we could go back to everyone even though I had killed people, and then you fell asleep with your head on my lap."

"Or when we snuggled under the blanket, watching the snow fall."

"That was amazing!" Annie smiles.

"Yknow, that's the night when I realized that I loved you." Eren smiles at her.

"Same here! That's why I grabbed you and made you keep me warm."

"'Made'? I snuggle on my own accord, thank you very much!" Eren teases.

"Oh, shut up..." She grabs his head and kisses him.

Joel wakes up to find Yuto playing with his hair. He blushes. A lot.

"Uhh... W-what are you doing?" He stutters.

"Waking you up!" Yuto grins. "Cmon, we've got to get started for the day!" She takes his hands and pulls him out of his bed whether he wants to or not. They walk outside to the courtyard, where Rin and Sasha are already waiting.

"What are you guys doing up so early?" Eren asks as he exits the barracks, too.

"Sasha wanted to get first pick of breakfast, so we got there first!" Rin explains.

"Alright. I've got an idea." Annie cuts to the chase. "They probably don't know about fusion and how it makes us stronger, so we'll use that to our advantage."

"Who's going to fuse with who?" Joel asks.

"Hmm." She ponders this for a little bit. "Since Joel and Yuto obviously have a crush on each other, let's fuse them."

"Wh-what, don't be silly..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." They both blush and deny it.

"Eren and I will fuse together, of course, and we'll target the Flying Titan." Annie says.

"It looks like it's a mile long, at least! How are we going to reach its neck?" Eren wonders.

"We'll just have to run from wherever we board it." Annie replies.

"What about me and Sasha?" Rin asks.

"Do you think a non-shifter can fuse?" Annie questions.

"Well, there's no real expert in the field of fusion, but it will only hurt a little to try and fail." Eren stays optimistic.

"Alright guys, sorry I'm late!" Hange stumbles in, still sleepy, with Levi on her arm. "Let's get this started, shall we? Go ahead and fuse!" She commands.

Eren and Annie start first, to show the others how to do it.

Joel steps up to Yuto.

"This might hurt... I'm sorry..." Joel says sadly.

"Oh! Bite me!" Yuto yells as she sinks her teeth into his arm.

"Ow! Fine!" Joel bites back and they shift. Their body is female. The red in each of their eyes compounds into a shining, piercing crimson. Their hair had blonde and silver streaks. They keep the claws, and Joel's shape shifting ability. They begin trying to learn how to walk together.

"Let's try this, shall we, my sweet?" Sasha asks Rin.

"Of course, cupcake! I'm sorry if this doesn't work and I end up hurting you..." Rin worries.

"Whatever! Just imagine I'm a steak!" Sasha comforts Rin.

"Ok, you ready?" Rin asks.

"Yes!"

They bite each other's arms since it's not going to cause much damage should they fail, but...

*PHWOOOM*

Everyone waits with bated breath to see the result.

"It looks just like Rin." Eren is confused. But sure enough, Sasha is nowhere to be seen.

"She must be in there with him." Annie assumes.

Indeed she is.

"WOAH! THIS IS SO FRIGGIN COOL!"

"I'm just glad it worked." Rin is very relieved.

"WE CAN HEAR EACH OTHER'S THOUGHTS?????" Sasha is really excited at this point. "What can I do in here?" Rin's hand moves slightly.

"I guess you don't have much control since you're not a shifter as well..." Rin concludes.

"Aww. Well, at the very least, I'll be able to put a little extra OOMPH in your punches, and I'll be near you the whole time!"

"That's right! I'll be right here to protect you!"

Joel and Yuto start changing their claws on their left hand into a shield contraption. It looks perfect, and is fortified by Yuto's armor ability.

Eren and Annie practice crystallizing when the shadow appears over the city with the three abnormals clearly in its claws.

"Guys, it's time to fight." Hange mutters ominously.


	53. Shadow of the Colossus

(Yes, I had played the game before I wrote this, but I had the idea for the Flying Titan, and then made it huge, and then realized that SotC already did this. It influenced me at the most, I didn't steal it.)

"Alright guys! We need to make our way to the tower of the warehouse building! That's our best chance of getting Eren and Annie up there!" Hange coordinates the Titan Team.

Everyone runs towards the building that Armin broke into so long ago to help Eren and Annie. Once they reach the base of the building, Rin and Sasha, and Joel and Yuto, take up a fighting stance. Joel and Yuto shift their left hand into a shield, again. Just then, the Flying Titan glides over them, and the Bladed Titan, the Burrowing Titan, and the Four Armed Titan drop down in between them and the tower. As soon as they land Eren and Annie take of running and clothesline the Four Armed Titan.

"Haha! Nice!"

They start scaling the tower as the titans below run at each other. The Bladed Titan dashes and swings his sword at Rin and Sasha, but Joel and Yuto intercede with their shield. They shift the bone in their right arm into a jagged scimitar while the Bladed Titan is staggering from his deflected blow. The Four Armed Titan rushes at Rin and Sasha, and they wait until she just reaches them, then they raise their fists up, and stab her top two arms with their claws.

"Yeah! That did it!" Sasha cheers Rin on.

But the Four Armed Titan uses her two lower arms to punch them away.

The Flying Titan is halfway over the tower, and Eren and Annie haven't reached the top yet.

"C'mon! We've got to climb faster, Eren!"

"I'll try as hard as I can!"

Joel and Yuto are locked in a battle with the Bladed Titan, exchanging strikes and blocking some with their shield. Their swords cross, and they are unable to help when they notice Rin and Sasha lying on the ground, with the Four Armed Titan walking towards them.

"Don't forget about us!" Armin yells as he swings in with Mikasa. They slice off her top two arms. They start flying all around her and deal several cuts all across her body. She flings her hand and smacks Armin into the air. Mikasa swoops in and grabs him, and leaves to carry him to safety. Rin slams the Four Armed Titan, and she flies and smacks into a wall.

Joel and Yuto deflect his sword, and kick him in the chest. He falls over. They walk over to him until they're standing at his feet. They raise their sword-arm above his stomach.

"One down!" Joel thinks.

If only it was the Bladed Titan that was going down. The ground below them collapses, and they fall into a hole.

"So, this is what the Burrowing Titan's been up to all this time."

Rin and Sasha stand up and look over to see the Bladed Titan running towards them. He raises his claws just in time to catch the Sword before it strikes their head.

"I need you to lend me your strength, Sasha!"

"You got it!"

They start pulling their claws in opposite directions, putting great strain on the sword. The front half of the blade snaps off. The Bladed Titan wrestles the sword free, and jabs what's left of it into their stomach.

"Phew! I don't know why we're not in there, but I'm glad we're not!"

The Bladed Titan tries to pull his sword out of them, but Rin hardens the area with his armor and punches him away. He pulls the sword out, and throws it deep into the city. The Once-Bladed Titan raises his fists up in a fighting stance.

Eren and Annie reach the top of the warehouse, just as the Flying Titan is almost over the tower.

"We'll have to jump, Eren!"

"Alright!"

They leap off the tower, and barely latch onto the Flying Titan's tail. It tries to shake them off, but they grip tight and shimmy their way up to the base of the tail. They stand and look down the length of its body, and before them stands and army of titans.

"Now for the easy part!"

Joel and Yuto stand up after falling into a pitfall made by the Burrowing Titan.

"This is dangerous, we need to get out of this hole, now." Joel tells Yuto.

"How do we get out, then?"

"We'll just have to climb."

They begin scaling the dirt wall, when suddenly..

*RRRRRRRRRR*

"DROP DOWN! NOW!" Joel screams.

They fall just in time to avoid the Burrowing Titan's claws going through their head. They return the sentiment with a savage uppercut that sends her flying out of the hole, and into the air.

"Did you miss me?" Hange asks as she flies in for a slash to the neck. The Burrowing Titan regains control of her body in the air however, and swings her claws in Hange's direction. Levi makes it just in time to save her from certain death.

"That was too close." Levi mutters. Hange can see the panic in his eyes.

Joel and Yuto emerge from the hole, and begin beating on the Burrowing Titan once it lands.

Rin and the Bladed Titan are in a standoff, until the Four Armed Titan comes back, fully regenerated. They rush Rin and Sasha, and he puts his hands up to guard his face against the flying fists, and armors his stomach.

"Hang in there, Rin!"

"Ugh...For.. You... Anything...."

"Don't worry! Your hero has come to save the day!" A voice calls from above them.

At this moment, the entire Survey Corps descends upon the Bladed Titan, led by Jean, slices him up, and extracts him from his body.

Eren and Annie deliver every kind of blow imaginable to the titan horde on top of the Flying Titan. Kicks, Smacks, Slams, Punches, Punts, and Tosses.

"Thankfully we're not over the city anymore!" Eren thinks as he sees titan corpses scattered about the forest below.

Suddenly, the Flying Titan starts pitching in angle, plotting a course for the city again, but also trying to shake the two off.

"We're gonna have to dig in deep for this one!" Annie tells Eren.

"How?"

"We dig!"

They crystallize their hands, and jabs them into the Flying Titan's back. The rest of the titans tumble off, and Eren and Annie find themselves dangling from their colossal enemy, with the wind rushing through their hair.

Rin and Sasha are lying on the ground, as the Four Armed Titan runs over to them. Rin stops her top two arms with his, and blocks her bottom two with his legs. She pushes down on him with her weight.

"What do we do now?" Rin asks.

"What we do best!"

"Got it!"

Rin pushes her arms out, causing her to collapse on them. He forces her head to the side, and digs his teeth into her neck, rendering her inept.

"Alright, it's up to Eren and Annie now." Hange murmurs. "Hang in there, you two."

Eren and Annie kick their legs into the Flying Titan's back, and start crawling upside down, towards its head. It turns back right side up once it realizes that it didn't shake them off. They start running again, when suddenly, something catches their eye. A blur flies by, and smacks them in the face.

"What was that???"

"I don't know, but there's more. Look."

They stare down the remaining length of the Titan's back, and see whip like appendages start to fly around recklessly.

"We have to make it through." Eren says.

They crystallize their whole body, except for their legs and their face, and run through the gauntlet of whips. They feel each one strike the crystal, and little chips start appearing in them.

"Just... A little bit... Further!"

A blow to the side. A lash to the face. A gash in the leg.

"Argh!!"

They break through, and find themselves on its neck.

"How do we take this thing down?"

"Gravity."

They walk up onto it's head, and it tries to shake them off. Its efforts are futile, however, as they jump off on their own accord. They turn around in the air to face the Flying Titan.

"Huh. It really does look like the dragons in the stories." Eren thinks.

They grab it by the nose, and bring it down slowly. They feel the wind rushing past them, and see the ground getting closer. It shakes them off, but it's too late. The crash is now imminent. Eren and Annie crash to the ground, and don't get up until they see Wall Rose just a little ways away.

"It's going to flatten half the city!"

"We have to stop it, Annie!"

They quickly hop up, and run forward to meet the Flying Titan. They hold their arms out in front of them, and brace for impact.

*SLAM*

The earth shakes as the Flying Titan crashes into the ground. Eren and Annie push against its face and try to slow it down. They feel their feet start to burn from the friction, and press even harder against the titan. They stop only when their back touches the Wall. They step out from between the Wall and the now grounded Flying Titan, and then everything goes black as Mikasa cuts them out.

Eren wakes up to find himself in his knees, and Annie collapsed on him from exhaustion. Eren looks around to find Joel, Yuto, Rin, and Sasha all back to normal. Sasha is telling everyone else how awesome it was being a Titan.

"Hey, Sasha. Are your teeth sharper?"  
Connie asks.

"Huh?" She pokes her teeth with her fingers. "Whoa! That's new! And pointy! Cool!"

"Do you think that you've been changed from being in a titan, even though you're not a shifter?" Hange is clearly fascinated. Levi stands very close to her side, as if he's expecting another enemy to appear out of nowhere. "You'll have to spend more time fused so I can gather information!"

"Are you alright with that, my sweet?" Sasha asks Rin.

"Ergh..." Rin moans, sore all over. "No... problem... Anything to make you... happy."

"Yay!" Sasha tackles him to the ground.

"Ahhh!"

Eren turns his head, and sees Joel and Yuto sitting far away from everyone, quietly talking, and laughing.

"Hey, Eren." Erwin walks up to the two. "Mikasa is over in the barracks, taking care of Armin. He's alright, he just got knocked around during the fight."

"Thank you, Commander." Eren smiles.

"Sure thing. Get some rest you two."

Annie wakes up, and shakily stands up.

"Let's go back to the barracks and get some sleep, okay?" She whispers.

"It's time." Eren thinks.

He plants one foot on the ground, so that he's on one knee. He takes Annie's hand.

"Wha-"

"Annie Leonhardt..."

Then Eren asks the question that he never knew he was waiting his whole life to ask, and Annie hears the question she never knew she was waiting her whole life to hear.

"Will You Marry Me?"


	54. The Proposal

"What?" Annie feels her breath being taken away.

"Will You Ma-"

"YES! OF COURSE YOU FOOL!"

A smile spreads from ear to ear on Eren's face. He jumps up, grabs her, and swings her around and around. Everyone starts cheering for them. Rin, Joel, Yuto, and Sasha run up and congratulate them. The rest of the Survey Corps join in as well. Annie can't stop smiling that beautiful smile at Eren. He picks her up, and takes her out of the roaring crowd. Their cheers die down as they all let them be with each other for a little while. Eren enters the barracks, and it's peaceful and quiet. He walks into their room, and Eren places her on the bed, and collapses right next to her. She sits up, and places her knees outside his legs, so that she's lying over him. She places her forehead on his. Eren feels the tears transfer from her cheeks to his.

"I'm so happy..." She cries, then falls onto Eren. He holds her tight, and starts crying, too.

"Me too..." He gasps between sobs.

They lay there for a while, and certainly don't calm down, but stop crying. Eren can't stop grinning, and Annie warmly smiles and strokes his hair.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Guys, can we come in?" Armin pokes his hand in front the door.

"Sure!" Eren calls. Annie gets off of Eren, and tidies herself up. Armin and Mikasa walk in. Armin has a bandage wrapped around his head.

"We heard the big news!" Mikasa smiles.

"We're SO sorry we missed it!" Armin has a sad look on his face.

Annie turns and whispers something in Eren's ear.

"Yknow, Annie, that's what I was thinking, too." Eren says. "You may have missed the proposal, but you'll have the best view at the wedding!"

"Why is that?" Armin looks up.

"Because you're going to be our Best Man and Maid of Honor!" Annie announces.

"Really!?!!?!" Armin jumps for joy. Mikasa starts crying as well.

"Well, who else would it be?" Eren teases.

"I don't know!! I'm just happy!" Armin hugs Eren.

"Are you alright, Mikasa?" Annie asks gently.

"*sniff* Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just happy for you..." Annie hugs her, too.

"Let's get out of their hair, Mika." Armin pulls her away.

"So, Eren. You DO know you'll have to get me a ring, right?" Annie teases, yet still serious.

"For you, only the best." Eren promises.


	55. The Ring

"Good Morning!"

Eren wakes up to find Annie kneeling over him. He smiles, then kisses her.

"So, what are we going to do about your ring?" Eren asks.

"Oh! I'll be fine with whatever you get me!" Annie coos.

"Nonsense! There has to be something you want on it!" Eren sits up and probes her.

"I do like amethysts..."

"That's good! Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Well..." Annie blushes. "I'd like an emerald to be in the center..."

"Why is that?"

"So it'll remind me of your eyes whenever I see it." Annie leans in, and stares into his, indeed very piercing, green eyes.

"Oh!" Eren blushes. "Ok! Is that all you want?"

"Yep!" Annie tilts her head and smiles. 

"Okay! I'll be right back!" Eren grabs his money pouch, and runs out of the room.

As soon as she hears the door to the barracks close behind him, Annie sighs and flops down on the bed.

"What's wrong?" A voice inquires.

"Huh? Who's that?" Annie calls out.

"It's Mikasa." She pokes her head in.

"Oh, hey. I'm just sad." Annie mumbles.

"Why are you sad during these, of all times?" Mikasa sits down next to her.

"Because Eren's not here. I know, pathetic right?" Annie smiles sadly.

"Aww. I just realized you guys have never really been apart since all of this started." Mikasa fawns over the cuteness of her brother's relationship.  
"No offense, but he's the only person I really like..." Annie apologizes.

"None taken! I just hope we get to be great friends, whenever you're ready." Mikasa reassures Annie, and gives her a hug. "Would you like it if I stayed with you until he gets back?"

Annie ponders this for a moment.

"Sure."

"Great!"

"So, what's the deal with you and Armin?" Annie asks mischievously.

Eren walks through the district inside Wall Sina. He passes through multiple stores and market stalls until he sees tree white building with the faded wooden sign that displays: "JEWELER'S"  
He enters, and the owner appears from a back room.

"Welcome! What can I do for you, today?" The owner is very eager to help Eren.

"Hi! I'd like to buy a wedding ring for my fiance!" Eren beams with joy.

"Congratulations! Certainly an exciting time, indeed!" He laughs. "Did you have something in mind?"

"I'd like the gold as pure as you have, and she'd like two amethysts with an emerald in the middle." Eren places the order.

"Lucky for you, those gems are in surplus! Your total comes to..." He crunches some numbers.

"¥300,000!"

Eren pushes down the lump in his throat. He looks in his now light looking wallet. He sees roughly ¥95,000.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have enough money..." Eren hangs his head.

"That shouldn't be a problem." A voice comes up from behind.

"Heichou?" Eren is stunned.

Levi walks in and drops a sizeable pouch onto the counter. The owner opens it, and tons of coins fall out. He starts counting them immediately.

"This amounts to ¥400,000!" He announces.

"Heichou..." Eren can barely speak out of gratitude.

"Consider it a wedding present from the Corps." The corner of his mouth curls up into a smile. He makes a swift exit.

"Here you go!" The owner hands him a little box. Eren opens it and checks the ring. The amethysts are a deep, sparkling purple, and the emerald is a sharp, gleaming, verdant green.

"This is perfect! She'll love it! Thank you SO much!" Eren bolts out the door and heads back to the barracks. He strides into their room with a grin on his face. Annie sprints over to him and embraces him.

"I missed you." Annie is elated to see him.

"I missed you, too. But look what I got." Eren pulls out the little black box, and opens it right in front of Annie.

*Gasp*

"It's beautiful..." Annie whispers. "How much did it cost?"

"Every little bit was worth it, so don't worry about the price."

Eren takes the ring out of the box, and slides it onto her ring finger.

"It fits perfectly." Annie smiles.

"I'm glad!"

"Where should we have the ceremony?" Annie asks.

"How about we have it at our cabin, once I rebuild it?" Eren suggests.

"Okay! Who will officiate, and what kind of cake will we have?"

"Who's got you all riled up in hyper-planning mode?" Eren is taken aback by her enthusiasm.

"Hey..." Mikasa steps in from the hallway. "Annie and I were talking about it for a little bit." She gives Annie a wink.

"Okay. I have someone in mind for who will officiate." Eren says.

"Yeah, so do I." Annie agrees.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Yes?" Hange opens her door.

"How would you like to perform our wedding ceremony?" Eren offers her the position.

"WHAT?" Hange chokes. "I'd love to! That'd make me so happy!"

*Squeal*

She grabs both of them and hugs tightly so that it's harder for them to breathe.

"Ack! Please... Let... Go..." Eren forces the words out.

"Oh, sorry!" Hange promptly lets the two of them go. "I'll start getting prepared right now!" She slams the door.

"Well, that went well!" Eren smiles.

"Yeah! Now we have to plan out all the other parts of the wedding!"

Eren grabs Annie's cheeks and says, "I'm excited for all of this, even the boring planning stuff."

She grabs his cheeks and kisses him. "I'm excited, too."

She looks down at the emerald in the ring and smiles.

"It really does a great job of reminding me of Eren's eyes."

"C'mon, Annie! Let's go build our cabin back up!"

"Sure!" She follows, content to follow him wherever, whenever, however...

Forever.


	56. Reconstruction

Eren wakes up, and caresses Annie's cheek. She slowly stirs.

"Annie..." Eren murmurs.

"Yes? What is it?" She groans.

"We're going to rebuild our cabin today."

"Really?" Annie shoots upright, elated. Her eyes light up.

"Yep!" Eren pulls out the pouch that Levi gave him, and shakes it. "We've got a little left over, so we can upgrade, too!"

"Lucky us!"

They get dressed and head towards the nearest home furnishings store. The clerk greets them at the entrance.   
"Welcome! How may I help you today?" She questions.

"We'd like some of your higher end furniture, please." Eren requests.

"You bet! Follow me." She leads them across the front of the store, to the living room section. "Here is our couch, love seat, and chair selection. Please let me know if you see anything you like."

Annie browses their wares, and tests out a few couches and chairs.

"How about this one?" She points at a green fabric couch and matching love seat.

"Great!" The clerk calls out some supply workers, and they pick the set up, and carry it out back. "Anything else?"

"We need some beds, Annie." Eren reminds her.

"Oh. Ok..." Annie waltzes over to the bedroom department and flops down on several beds. "I like this one!" She picks out a simple, yet comfortable bed with red sheets.

"Great!" The clerk starts to signal the heavy lifters, but Eren stops her.

"Can we get this in bunk beds, AND king size?" Eren requests.

"Uh. Sure?" The clerk calls out the carpenter, and he gets started on the alterations. "Anything else?"

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up! It's time for breakfast!" Sasha shakes Rin awake. "Then we have to help Eren and Annie rebuild!"  
She leaps off the bed and pulls Rin out, too. She runs with him to the cafeteria. They find Yuto and Joel are already sitting next to each other on the bench, and sit down across from them.

"Good Morning, you two!" Rin says.

"Hey, brother." Yuto greets him. "How have you two been?"

"We've been pretty great!" Rin grins. "How have YOU two been?" He smirks.

*gulp*

"Wh-what do you mean?" Joel stutters, his cheeks turning red.

"Mhmm." Rin hums with a lighthearted skepticism.

"Here! Your food is getting cold!" Sasha stuffs a roll into Rin's mouth.

"MMPH!" Rin struggles with the mouthful of bread.

"You guys ready to help out those two lovebirds get their home back in order?" Sasha gets up.

They all nod.

Rin swallows, and stands up, too. "Alright, we'll need as many arms as we can get, so only Sasha and I will fuse, since she can't shift on her own."

"Sounds good!" Joel stands up, and Yuto joins him.

They all step outside into the courtyard, and three bolts of lightning are called down to the Earth.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"I think that completes our order for today." Eren tells the clerk and hands her the pouch of yen.

"Alright, this covers your bill. Here's your change, sir!" She thanks them for their patronage and opens the door to show their furniture all set up for shipping outside the store. "We can transport all of this for a small fee." She offers.

*Thud*

*Thud*

*Thud*

"Nah. We got help." Annie smiles. "Besides, you won't want to go where we're going."

The Titan crew rounds the corner, and the clerk takes one look and bolts inside.

"Haha! She acts like she's never seen a titan before!" Eren laughs in an uproar. "Hey, Rin? Is your hair longer than usual?

"What?" Rin thinks. He runs his fingers through his hair, and finds that it is indeed, a fair bit longer. "Is this because of you, cupcake?"

"I think so, gummybear!" Sasha concludes. "We'll have to see if my teeth are sharper when we get out!"

"Yeah!"

The titans pick up all the furniture, and Eren and Annie shift as well. They make their way to the ruins of the cabin, and set everything down. The building process begins. They make the entrance first, followed by the kitchen, living room, and guest rooms. Eren stops them all, and begins working on the bedroom by himself. Once he's done, they all return to normal.

"Close your eyes, Annie. I'll guide you inside." Eren leads her into the bedroom. "Ok, open them."

Annie looks around her, at the bedroom that Eren built.

"It's the exact same..." Annie is shocked.

"Well, I have so many great memories from this place, that I have the layout imprinted in my mind." Eren explains. "Well, the beds are bigger, but that's the only difference."

"It's perfect!" She wraps her arms around his neck, kicks one leg up into the air, and kisses him.

"I'll get started on a meal." Joel walks into the kitchen.

"I'll help!" Yuto follows him in.

"Hey, Sasha. I think your teeth ARE sharper!" Rin observes.

"Ow! They are! I guess I'll have to be more careful when I'm chewing, then!" Sasha chuckles.

"Don't worry guys, the party's arrived!" Hange bursts in the door with Levi. Mikasa and Armin follow close behind.

"Maybe the PARTY has arrived, but the LABOR has been here." Eren frowns.

"Oh. Calm down, you." Hange pats him on the head. Everyone walks in and gets settled.

"C'mon Joel, look how open everyone else is about their relationships. Let's be open too." Yuto asks.

"Yeah, ok. Let's do it." Joel agrees.

"Dinner's ready!" Joel and Yuto walk out, holding hands.

Everyone stares for a second.

"Ok!" Sasha runs into the kitchen to get first dibs. Everyone else follows in afterwards.

"What were you expecting?" Eren laughs. "Everyone knows already."

"Oh..." Joel blushes.

"Haha!" Yuto laughs. "C'mon, let's go eat!"

"A toast! To the new cabin, and this lovely couple who are about to get married!" Hange raises her glass.

"Hear! hear!" Everyone cries out.


	57. Transformation

"Good Morning, sweet roll!" Sasha is all dressed and out of bed. She greets Rin as he wakes up, and throws him his clothes. They hit his face then lightly fall onto the bed. He crawls out of bed and stumbles, trying to put his clothes on. She grabs his hand as soon as he gets his shirt on, and runs to the dining room for breakfast. They are the first in line, and she nabs a few extra donuts. "First come, first serve." She shrugs and laughs. She pulls Rin to the tables, and they sit down and start eating.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Rin wonders.

"Let's see if I can become even more titan-like!" Sasha pumps her fist in the air.

"Okay, let's finish up this meal then, and get started. The more exposure, the more change, am I right?" Rin figures. He wolfs down his meal, and waits for Sasha to finish. She tears into her food with savagery, and there's nothing left not long after. Rin takes her hand this time and they walk into the forest. They fuse, and inspect their body in the lake for any changes. Feathers have seemed to sprout out of their arms. Their claws have gotten stronger and sharper, and their teeth are becoming almost serrated. Their hair is past shoulder length, and looks more auburn than usual. Eren and Annie show up, shifted individually. Eren gives them a wave. They wave back. A 10m titan appears from behind the trees. Rin and Sasha jump on it before Eren, Annie, or the titan can react. Shreds of Titan fly everywhere. Their brownish-red hair flies through the air like a whip, yet everyone is so enthralled that time slows down, the strands of hair look like the tentacles of a jellyfish, floating lazily in the water. They look like a rabid dog, tearing into its victim. Vicious canines dig into the neck of the titan, and rip a huge chunk of flesh out, leaving less than they took away. Its head falls since the neck is unable to support it. It collapses and wastes away.

"Woah there!" Eren has to stop himself from fainting after that brutal showcase.

Annie holds out her crystal arm, and clicks her teeth together, in a challenge to the two. They saunter over, grab her arm, and chomp into the crystal. Annie can feel each individual incisor dig into her arm. The crystal starts to crack, and she plants her palm on their face, and shoves them away, shaking her arm.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Back at the cabin, Rin notices something different about Sasha.   
"Strange... Your arms look bigger, but your frame looks considerably lighter."

"..." Sasha examines herself for a moment, then looks. "You mean I'm skinnier?!?!"

"No fair..." Annie mutters under her breath.

"You're perfect..." Eren whispers into her ear. She blushes slightly.

"What was that, guys?" Sasha tilts her head and smiles.

"Don't worry about it." Eren returns the smile.

"Okay?" She laughs. "How goes the wedding planning?"

"Pretty well! We've got the cake, officiant, Best Man, Maid of Honor, location..." Annie motions around her. "Now we just need groomsmen and bridesmaids..." She gives them a knowing look.

"You mean??" Rin gasps.

"Yep!" Eren says.

"What about Joel and Yuto?" Sasha asks.

"We already know!" A voice calls from somewhere in the cabin.

"Well! We're honored!" Rin grins.

"We're glad!" Eren agrees.

"Wow! Where did the time go?" Annie is looking out the window, at the moon in the sky.

"Yeah! We need to get back to the barracks, muffin." Rin tells Sasha.

"You're right. We'll see you tomorrow, guys!" They run out of the building.

"Well, we should get to bed as well..." Eren picks Annie up, even though she's completely capable of moving on her own, and lightly tosses her on the bed.

"Ah!" She cries as she flies through the air. "Don't do that!" She blushes, but found it fun.

"Oh, whatever." Eren crawls under the covers, gives her a kiss, and pulls her close to him, just like they used to all that time ago.


	58. Alteration

"I feel like whatever change I'm going through is almost finished." Sasha predicts softly.

"You think so?" Rin asks.

"Yes, it probably won't be too long until I can shift on my own." Sasha elaborates.

"Well, let's hasten that process, shall we?" Rin smiles. They walk out to the cabin from the barracks, and enter silently, since it is early in the morning. They see Joel and Yuto snuggling close in the bottom bunk, and Eren and Annie doing the same on top. "We can't all be lazy..." Rin shakes his head jokingly. "Let's get some breakfast going then, okay sweetheart?"

"You bet, creampuff!" Sasha gathers the ingredients and Rin starts up the fire underneath the stove. He breaks some eggs, and adds a few ingredients to make omelets. Sasha hops up on the counter, and kicks her legs in the air. Rin leans over and kisses her forehead. He tosses the omelets in the air, and catches it with finesse. He slides them onto two plates and brings them to the table. Sasha takes her place next to him, and starts chowing down.

"When did you guys get here?" A sleepy Joel walks in, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh... About 5 minutes ago. When you were cuddled up close next to my sister." Rin only adds this to freak Joel out. It works.

"Uh... It's... Um..." Joel can't seem to find his words, and slowly backs up.

"I'm just messing with you!" Rin bursts into laughter. "Come on, sit down!" He points to the seat across from him and Sasha. Joel sits down, timidly.

"So.. Is that all you made?" Joel asks.

"Yeah, 'Master Chef', go make your own." Sasha guards her omelet that her love made for her. "Hey, my appetite is HUGE today! Does this mean I can eat more forever?" Her mind is racing.

"I guess I never noticed that we eat more than regular people..." Rin realizes this fact.

"Hey, Joel! Can you make me some more food?" Sasha is eager to use this wonderful, new, stomach immediately.

"Sure! I've gotten used to judging portion sizes for us!" Joel replies.

"Morning, brother!" Yuto runs up and hugs Rin.

"Hey there, Yuto! You get a good night's sleep?" He teases and looks at her in a knowing way. She picks up on the message.

"You saw that? Yeah, I slept great!" She handles it way better than Joel, and laughs it off.

"Hey, guess we're the last ones up." Eren and Annie shuffle in.

"Oi... It's rush hour over here." Joel thinks.

Everyone finishes their meal once Joel brings it out, and they all make their way outside to watch the change in Rin and Sasha's fused body.

"You ready to do this, sugarplum?" Rin grabs her arm and raises it by his mouth.

"You bet!" She grabs his arm too.

*CHOMP*

*PHWOOM*

"Whoa..."

"Their teeth and claws look even sharper. No, they're metal." Yuto is shocked.

"You're looking at those???" Eren turns to Yuto. "Look at their wings!!"

Sasha and Rin look down at their arms, which have feathers fully sprouted all around.

"Is this for real, Sasha?" Rin asks.

"I guess so! Let's try it out!"

They give their wings a flap. The leaves blow away, the trees start to bend, and everyone on the ground has to brace themselves. Rin and Sasha get a few feet off the ground, then fall on their face. They shove off the ground again, and lift off, high into the air. They struggle to stabilize themselves, and start slowly drifting forward. They then take off, swooping and gliding through the air. Performing tricks for the spectators below.

"Well, I've seen everything..." Annie sighs.


	59. Metamorphosis

"I think I've definitely become a shifter now, Rin!" Sasha says to Rin as they lay in their bed, holding hands.

"Would you like to try on your own?" Rin proposes.

"Yeah! Let's go." Rin hops out of bed and helps her out as well. They head to the mess hall, and eat a quick breakfast. They step out into the courtyard.

"Alright, you'll want to hold onto tight to my back once I get going, muffin." Sasha advises.

"Okay?"

She bites her arm, and she was right. She shifts into her own Titan body.

"Whoa!" Rin examines her body, from bottom to top. Her long, flowing hair. Her skinny waist. Her strong legs. Her chiseled muscles. Her pure, white, wings. "You're just as beautiful..." Rin sighs.

She smiles a great, big smile, showing her vicious teeth, but Rin loves those as well. He loves everything about her. She lays down so he can climb on her back. He shimmies up, then grabs tightly onto some of her hair, and plants his feet firmly on her neck. She gives her wings a forceful push, and she rises into the air. The act of flying is exhilarating. Rin can't tell if it's better riding or doing the flying himself.

"WAHOOOO!" Rin hollers as they soar over the city. "I LOVE YOU SASHA!" He yells as he hugs her neck.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eren is in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, when Annie walks in. She grabs him by his shoulders and forces him against the wall.

"Wha-?"

"What are you doing out of bed? You're my property, see?" She points to the ring on his finger.

"Well..." Eren starts flirting back. "You're just gonna have to make me get back in bed." He issues a challenge.

She flings him over her shoulder, and hurries over to the bedroom. She throws him down onto their bed, and climbs up as well. She kneels on top of him. He grabs her shirt, and pulls her down to his level and kisses her. He rolls her over so that she's underneath him, and he starts kissing her neck. His lips tickle her, and she scrunches up her neck, but she enjoys it.

"That's what I want..." Joel thinks. He looks over to Yuto, and summons all the courage he can muster. He pokes her cheek. Her eyes flutter open, and as soon as he is sure that she's aware, he places his hands on her cheeks, and kisses her on the lips. Her eyes open wide, but they softly close and she pushes against his lips.

"The wedding is only a week away..." Eren can hear the excitement in Annie's voice as she says this.

"I can't wait." Eren smiles.

"Me and the girls are going dress shopping tomorrow." Annie informs him.

"Ok! I've already got a tux for me and the groomsmen." Eren says.

"You're gonna look so handsome." Annie purrs.

"You're gonna look so beautiful." Eren whispers.

"Stop..." Annie blushes.

"It's true!" Eren tells her.

*THUD*

"Hello everyone!" Rin shouts from outside. "Come take a gander at my chocolate chip!"

They all walk outside and are amazed at Sasha's transformation.

"Wow! This is incredible!" Yuto jumps.

"Yeah. Who knew this was a possibility?" Annie adds.

"Who wants to go for a ride?" Rin offers.

"Oh! Me!" Joel runs over and Yuto follows him. The climb aboard. Rin looks over at Eren and Annie.

"Oh, no thank you! We've had enough of flying titans for a little while." Eren declines the offer.

"Your loss." Rin smiles as he climbs onto Sasha and they fly away.

Annie wraps her arms around Eren's shoulders, and looks into his eyes.

"Now, where were we?"


	60. The Day Before

"Wake up!" Annie shakes Eren awake.

"What? Is there trouble?" Eren shoots upright, alert to any danger.

"No! I figured we should enjoy the last day we have together as fiancées." Annie smiles.

"Ok! We're done with the planning, right?" Eren checks to make sure everything's taken care of.

"Yes. The food is arranged, the decorators will come tonight with the tables, chairs, altar setup, and decorations, and the invitations have been sent." Annie gives Eren the low down on the wedding.

"Then I guess we'll just have to have fun for the day." Eren gets out of bed, and takes Annie's hand to help her down as well. They eat a quick breakfast, and take a walk outside. They come upon Rin and Sasha, shifted individually. Sasha is flying and pointing at the ground. "What are you guys doing out here?" Eren calls to Rin. He puts his finger to his lips and runs into the forest a little bit.

*CRACK*

Eren and Annie hear the sound of bones breaking. Rin walks back with a titan's head in his teeth.

"That's so sweet! You're clearing away the titans so the ceremony will be safe!" Annie walks up and hugs Rin's leg. Sasha screeches in the air, and points to another titan. Rin hurries off to take care of it.

"C'mon, Annie." Eren holds his hand out for her. She takes it and they resume walking. "Where's Joel and Yuto, by the way?"

"Who do you think is the caterer?" Annie gives Eren a wink.

Meanwhile, at Reg's farmhouse

"This cake is so huge!!!" Joel let's out an exasperated sigh as he lowers the fifth tier onto the top with extreme precision.

"Well, they only asked for a simple three tier cake..." Yuto shakes her head as she watches Joel prepare the sixth tier out of eight. It was quite a sight to see Joel bake the first tier, as it was Ten Feet in diameter. He managed to pull it off, however.

"Man, I'm so glad those two are gettin' married!" Reggie pulls out his best, and only, suit and holds it in front of himself while looking into the mirror. "I just knew it was going to happen sooner or later!"

"Yeah." Joel sucks a little bit of batter off his thumb. "We all had a hunch that they were going to be the first." He slides the sixth tier into the oven, and ices the fifth tier. "Hey, Yuto. Can you get started on the non-perishables?"

"Like, what?" She asks.

"Crackers, fruits, Y'know, things that won't spoil?" Joel explains.

"Okay! I'll do even more than that." Yuto puts apples, pears, bananas, carrots, grapes, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables she can find into bowls. She covers them with wet rags so they'll keep. She also pull out a platter and arranges cheese and crackers on it. She places another rag on top of the platter.

"Wow. You've really got an eye for culinary decor." Joel looks over at her handiwork, and is impressed. 

"Thanks, you!" She bumps the side of her hip into his. "I try!" 

Annie and Eren reach the lake where they spent so much time together. Eren sits down, with his legs crossed, and she sits next to him. He turns to face her. He runs his hand through her hair, and kisses her.

"Eren, without you, I'd never be happy. If you're not around, I'm sad." Annie confesses.

Eren feels a pain in his chest as she says this. Nothing makes him feel worse than the thought of her being unhappy.

"Well..." He pulls her down so that she is laying across his lap, looking up at him. "I guess I'll just have to stay by your side forever."

"I'd love that..." Annie pulls his head down and kisses him. They both lay down and look up at the sky.

"I'm glad this day is almost over, and that we won't be fiancées anymore, because what's coming up next is going to be so much better..." Eren sighs.

"I agree..." Annie puts her head on Eren's shoulder.

Suddenly, Sasha flies over them, and drops two titan skeletons into the water. They both get mildly wet from the splash.

"Hey!" Eren yells at her. She lets out another shreik and lands in the shallow water. She grabs them and places them on her back. She takes off, and heads back towards the cabin. Annie looks down, and sees titan Joel carrying a VERY large box, wrapped with a ribbon. He places it outside the cabin, and builds a little barrier for it to keep whomever out. Sasha lands by the cabin, and lets the two off. Rin greets her and cuts her free. Eren looks at Joel to see that Yuto is riding on his shoulders, which he widened to make a platform for the food items.

"Are you done with everything?" Eren calls.

"No! There are a few things that need to be made fresh!" Yuto replies.

"Oh, that's fine! Where are the decorators?"

"They'll be here, don't worry!"

"I'll leave you to it, then!" Eren turns to Annie. "We've got a big day tomorrow, let's get to bed, okay?"

"Yeah! I'm so excited!" Annie follows him, and they go to bed.

"Alright, guys." Yuto whispers.

Then, the whole Survey Corps appears, silent as the night, ready to accomplish some secret mission.


	61. The Wedding

"Wake up! Wake up! It's today!" Annie is bouncing around everywhere, shaking Eren. She falls onto him.

"OOF!" Eren feels the wind knocked out of him.

"Well, she can't just have all this energy and expect not to get punished..." An idea hatches in his mind.

Eren takes his hands, and puts them on her waist. He then proceeds to tickle her sides, and she doubles over, laughing.

"OOH.... HAHA! STOP!" She tries to breathe, but struggles. Eren relents for a moment.

"I guess I always did manage to take your breath away." Eren grins a cheeky grin.

The smile immediately falls off of Annie's face, she grabs a pillow, and smacks Eren across the face. He throws it away from them, and tackles her onto the bed.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the puns?" Eren snickers.

"You HAVE to admit: That was repugnant." Annie holds her chin up in dignity while being pinned down by Eren. He grabs the edge of her chin with his hand and kisses her.

"Hey! Lovebirds! Don't you have some preparations to make?" Joel calls out from underneath them.

"Yeah... I guess I should get started with all the preparations. You know: Makeup, hair, THE DRESS." Annie thinks of all she has to do.

"I'll let you get to it!" Eren helps Annie down from the bed. She walks over to the living room, and finds that it's all decorated in white.

"Who did this?" Annie asks.

"That would be us." Erwin steps into the room and all the female members of the Survey Corps are with him. They grab her, and carry her behind a partition.

"Let's get you looking beautiful, shall we?" Mikasa smiles.

"We'll make his heart stop when he sees you, girly!" Sasha adds. They descend upon Annie like hawks, and prepare her for the ceremony.

Eren gets his suit on within minutes.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Come in!" Eren calls.

Armin walks into the room, looking classy in a tuxedo and bowtie.

"You freaking out yet?" Armin asks.

"No. People freak out before their wedding because they overthink love. I know all I need to know: That I want to be with her forever." Eren explains.   
"Wow. That's deep, man." Armin pins the boutineer (a flower that goes on the left flap of the tuxedo) on Eren's jacket.

"Thanks." Eren looks out the window and sees a large tent set up. "Hey, who did all this decorating?" Eren wonders.

"The Survey Corps showed up last night while you two were sleeping and we took care of it." Armin confesses.

"You guys treat us too well." Eren says.

"Nonsense! We were happy to do it!" Armin reassures him that it was no trouble.

Joel and Yuto are in the kitchen, cooking the meals they couldn't yesterday. Meats, sliced fruits, and breads are displayed on several platters. The cake is already under the tent, due to the difficulties with transportation.

Rin, Armin, and Eren are sitting around in the cabin, laughing and joking, when Mikasa barges into the room.

"While you guys were loafing about, having a grand old time, us ladies were getting YOUR fiancée looking gorgeous!" She grabs Eren by the collar.

"What do you expect?" Rin laughs. "All we have to do is put the suits on and make sure our hair looks nice!"

"HMPH!" She storms out of the room.

"I'll talk to her later." Armin says. "The ceremony's about to start."

"Yeah, let's get you to the altar, buddy." Rin and Armin each grab an arm. They take him out back, where chairs are lined up, and the altar is draped in white cloth. The orchestra is set up and ready to play. Hange is waiting for him. Eren takes his place on the altar, and Hange gives him a warm hug. Rin, Armin, Levi, and Joel stand next to him. Slowly, but surely, the seats start to fill up. There's Sasha, Bertholdt, Reiner, Connie, Petra, Erwin, Jean, Ymir, and pretty much the whole military force of the city. Mikasa, Yuto, and Sasha hustle over and take their places as well. They are wearing simple, yet elegant, white dresses.

Suddenly, music starts playing.

Eren leans over to Armin and whispers, "What's with the music? Is that the 1812 Overture??"

"She wanted something different. Not quite so girly."

"Ah. I see."

Cannons roll out, and point away from the crowd.

"Why are those here?"

"You'll find out!"

The music picks up a little bit, and the audience stands up. Eren looks around for Annie, but she's nowhere to be seen.

Then she appears. Her hair is wavy, and flows free. Her eyes have the very essence of life in them. Her dress is pure white, with beautiful ripples. She's not wearing a veil, but Eren never liked those anyway. As soon as Eren's heart stops, the cannons fire in time with the music, and he jolts up. He can see Annie chuckle, and gives her a smile. She steps up on the altar, and they both can't stop smiling.

"Dearly beloved... oh, I'm sorry..." Hange wipes a tear away from her eye. "I thought I'd make it farther than this." Levi stands behind her for support. "We are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhardt in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisely, and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

No one says anything.

"Good! Now, marriage is a big commitment, which I have no doubt that you two are prepared for, so we'll skip that part, okay?" Hange smiles. Bursts of laughter erupt from the audience. "You two are going to start a new, and wonderful life together. One full of joy, love, and happiness. Based on these past few months, I have no doubt that there will be troubles for you yet, but all of us here have your back." Nods and words of assent ring out from the audience. "Now, let us read the vows. The groom shall start."

Eren takes Annie's hands, looks into her eyes, and says, "Annie. I promise to always keep you warm in the winter. I promise to always reserve the top bunk for you. I promise I'll never leave the bed without your permission." He turns serious now. "I promise that I'll always protect you. I promise to never leave your side. I promise that I'll always love you with everything I have."

Annie wipes the tears away from her eyes, and gives her vows, "Eren, I promise to always try to make you happy. I promise to always let you share top bunk with me. I promise that I'll always enjoy your awful puns. I promise to not keep you in bed too long." She winks. "I promise to always try to be happy for you. I promise to always stay with you. I promise to always protect you. I promise to love you forever."

"Now..." Hange takes a deep breath and composes herself. "It's time for the exchanging of the rings."

Annie raises Eren's ring in the air. "I, Annie Leonhardt, give you, Eren Yeager, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." She slides it onto his finger.

Eren raises Annie's ring in the air. "I, Eren Yeager, give you, Annie Leonhardt, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." He puts it onto her finger.

"By the power vested in me, by myself, I now pronounce you: Husband and Wife! You may now kiss the bride!"

Eren takes both of her hands, and kisses her. The audience cheers, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids clap. Eren and Annie turn to the crowd.

"Alright! Calm down everyone! The real party's about to begin!"


	62. The Reception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you can't tell by the food, I'm a southern boy.

(The song order is as follows: Sway by Dean Martin, Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra, and Strangers In The Night by Frank Sinatra. The last one is Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. Please look them up if you want to get the full experience.)

Annie takes Eren's hand, and they walk between the cheering crowd to the tent where the reception is being held. They sit down at their table, and Joel brings them their food personally. The finest steak from Reg's farm, now very successful, as it is the only one outside of Wall Rose, giving him a lot of land to work with. Sweet potatoes crowned with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. There's also a collection of pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, and other bite-sized fruits. Another tray comes out with rolls, muffins, and mini-cakes.

"This is wonderful, Joel!" Eren praises him.

"Thanks! This is way past the level that I was cooking at when I was wandering, but I managed to pull it off!"

"Don't sell yourself short. This is amazing." Annie reassures him.

"Thank you! I need to get back to work. People are lining up for their meals!" Joel runs back to the food table.

"Hey, you two!" Reggie walks over to them, and starts congratulating them on their marriage, and saying how he knew it would happen, when suddenly, Hange makes an announcement.

"Attention! Can the newly wedded couple make their way to the center of the tent for their first dance?"

Annie grabs Eren's hand, and they walk to the dance floor. Eren grabs Annie's right hand with his left, and they hold it close to their bodies. They take their free hand and put it on the other's waist.

The music begins.

"I didn't know we had a singer." Eren whispers.

"Yeah, apparently he's very versatile." Annie responds.

They sway back and forth, dancing to the music. Other couples, such as Rin and Sasha, Hange and Levi, and Armin and Mikasa join in as well. Eren twirls Annie around, and he holds her even closer. They are so close, their hearts can feel the other beating in time together. While they are dancing, there is no "him" or "her", they are, for that moment, one being. Everyone else fades from their mind. To them, the floor is theirs, and they've been alone together since forever.

The song ends, and they snap out of their chance, step apart, and cheer for the band while everyone cheers for them. The next song begins.

"I LOVE this one!" Sasha gets really excited. She and Rin take center stage. "Gee, listening to the lyrics, I wonder why you like it, my little bird girl." Rin smiles and looks deeply into her eyes. A part of Rin is in Sasha, due to their fusion. They can feel the connection between each other. They close their eyes and dance perfectly, no mistakes.   
That song ends as well. Everyone cheers for the band, and the next one begins.

Levi and Hange take center stage, and waltz around, gliding across the floor. Gracefully, lazily, they float and dance. Armin and Mikasa join too, not as effortless, but certainly as impressive. They have a finesse that the shifters don't.

"Alright! One last song for tonight, and this one's a good one!" The singer announces. The music starts up once again. Everyone takes the floor, even Joel and Yuto. Kisses are shared, cheers are given, and the whole area is filled with a sense of joy. The song ends, and Mikasa takes the stage.

"Alright guys, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." She waits for a bit. "Just kidding, Eren and Annie say you can crash here if you need to, but the party's over."

Everyone begins to leave, and Eren looks at the pile of wedding presents.

"They didn't have to get us so much..." He sighs. He grabs a few boxes, walks into the cabin, and trips over a sleeping Connie.

"Mhmm... Hey, Eren..." Connie groans, then goes back to sleep.

Eren takes special measures to step over Jean, and retrieves the rest of the presents while Annie gets changed. After he gets them all in, he changes himself. Annie walks out wearing gray sweatpants, and a plain white t-shirt.

"So, now that we're married, I can totally let myself go, right?" Annie teases.

"Only if I can too!" Eren bargains. He turns around to find Annie looking at him rather mischievously. She bends her knees a little bit. "Uh... Annie?"

"C'MERE HUSBAND!" She pounces on Eren, and they fall to the floor, laughing.


	63. New Day, New Life

Eren wakes up to the sound of Jean and Connie closing the door as they leave for the city. He looks to see Annie sleeping, practically on top of him. He patiently waits for her to wake up.

It takes her about thirty minutes, but she stirs, her eyes flicker and open, and she looks up at him and smiles.

"Everything feels so different, but at the same time, it feels like we've been married this whole time." Annie muses.

"I know what you mean, it's as if we've been married our whole lives, we just didn't know it yet." Eren concurs. "It feels great, but so did all of the time we've spent together, so far."

"Well," Annie sits up. "I guess we're just a better couple than everyone else." She shrugs her shoulders and laughs, pulling a lock of hair behind her ear. Eren joins in her laughter, "I'm not gonna deny THAT." He pulls her back down to him, and rests his head where her arm meets her shoulder. She strokes his hair.

Joel and Yuto crawl out of their bed and he starts cooking breakfast. Sasha and Rin show up, suspiciously in sync with the completion of the food. They devour the whole setup before Joel can sit down. He turns around, and starts on a double batch.

Annie flings Eren over her shoulder, and she hops off the bed. She plants him on the ground, and they walk together into the kitchen.

"Hey! There's the newly wedded couple!" Sasha waves. "C'mon! Have a bite to eat." She pats the bench for them to sit down. They accept the offer, and begin dining. Everyone is staring at them and waiting in anticipation.

"What?" Annie asks.

"What's marriage like???" Joel shouts.

"Yeah, tell us!" Yuto adds.

"Well..." Eren starts and everyone leans in close.

"It's no different, really." Eren states bluntly.

The emotions fall off of everyone's faces, and are replaced with annoyance.

"What?" Yuto scowls.

"You heard him." Annie raises her eyebrows. "'It's no different, really.'" She recites Eren's words.

"You guys are no fun..." Rin sighs.

"Anyway, Yuto and I are going to go on a journey for a little while, if that's alright." Joel changes topics. 

"You don't have to ask us, but we're fine with it. Why are you leaving?" Eren asks.

"I need to check up on all the people from my past." Joel replies.

"Well, if you're leaving, will you take Rin and I with you?" Sasha queries.

"Sure. I don't see why not. It'll be better with more people." Joel shrugs. "You guys ready now?" He stands up, and grabs the door handle.

"Sure, just let me grab some things." Rin rushes into the bedroom. He returns with a few bags, and everyone walks outside.

"Are you coming two?" Yuto looks at Eren and Annie.

"No thanks. We've had enough adventure for a little while." Annie declines the offer.

"Why don't I just fly us there?" Sasha proposes.

"Sure, that'll work." Joel agrees.

Sasha shifts, and everyone except the newlyweds hop aboard. She takes off into the sky with them, leaving Eren and Annie alone.

"So, is this the start of the honeymoon?" Eren grins.

"I guess so!" Annie kisses him.

What they don't notice is the silver blur pass by their house and head towards the city...


	64. An Easy Fight

Eren and Annie just made it to the door of their cabin after watching the birds for a while, when Armin dashes towards them.

"Guys!" He is wheezing. "Problem!" The message is obviously urgent, but he can't get the words out. He holds up one finger. He then stands and tries to make himself look as big as he can, and stomps around, mimicking a titan.

"Message received, Armin." Eren puts his hand on Armin's shoulder, and takes Annie's hands. "Let's handle this one together, okay?" Eren decides the game plan.

"Sure!" Annie nods. "Let's make this quick, okay? This isn't how I envisioned spending our honeymoon..."

They shift, but something's different. Their physique is just... BIGGER. Their six-pack is more defined, pecs more pronounced, and arms more chiseled. They pick Armin up, and sprint towards the city.

They enter Wall Maria, and see the enemy. It's an abnormal, and it's the average size for one, but it's skin looks gray-ish.

As the two, and Armin, get closer, the titan's true nature is revealed. What looked to be gray is actually a silver sort of color. His body appears to be metal. He's trying to kick down the gates to get into Wall Rose, but Eren and Annie hurl a rock at his head to get his attention. He turns around, and charges towards them. They sidestep, and grab his arm. They swing him around, until he is facing the wall with his back towards them. They quickly land a powerful drop-kick, and he flies into the portcullis.

*CLANG*

He rights himself, and charges again. They dodge, and trip him with a crystal leg.

"THIS DAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!" Annie is not a force to be reckoned with today. They pick him up off the ground, and raise him over their head. He begins struggling, and they deliver a crystal punch to his stomach, incapacitating him, but not really hurting him.

They walk into the forest, and he begins squirming again.

"Hey Annie, I think some of these trees have this guy's name on them."

"I was thinking the same thing!"

As the newcomer's face becomes forcefully acquainted with about half the forest, they formulate a plan.

He starts squirming again, and they slam him down face first into the ground. They then lift their foot up high into the air, and bring it hurling to the back of his head in a harsh curb stomp. They sling him over their shoulders and continue to walk.

They reach the lake, and raise him above their head, and slam his back into their knee, for good measure, and wade into the water. Once they get in the water, it is no longer possible to keep him above their head, and they push him along the lakebed until they reach the deepest point. They walk out of the lake quickly, while the Metal Titan is struggling to take one step. They grab a large boulder from the middle of the forest, and wade back into the water. They drop the boulder on the Metal Titan, and walk away.

A Few Hours Later

Annie and Eren are sitting down for dinner, back in human form.

"So, you weren't having any nonsense today, eh, Annie?" Eren asks nervously.

"I'm enjoying my honeymoon. No one is going to change that." Annie says coldly. "Don't you agree?" She smiles warmly.

"Y-yeah! I'm tired of fighting so much. You made the right call today." Eren quickly agrees.

"We'll deal with him when we finish our honeymoon. He can lay down there and think about what he's done." Annie holds her chin up high.

They finish their dinner, and Eren puts the plates in the sink. Annie climbs into bed, and calls Eren to come up with her. He climbs up, and she nestles her head in his chest.

"Now, where were we?"


	65. The Honeymoon

"Alright! Time to enjoy our honeymoon!" Annie shouts as she exits the bathroom in her swimsuit. She hoists Eren over her shoulder and walks to their beach.

"OOF! I'm excited..." Eren truly is excited despite his tone. Her shoulder is pressing against his stomach, making it hard to breathe.

She plops him down on the sand, and lays next to him.

"See? Isn't this nice? We don't have to worry about the city, or anyone else bothering us. It's just like it was when we first fell in love." Annie sighs.

"Yeah, it sure is nice." He turns and kisses her on the neck, and she scrunches up.

"Stop it! That tickles!" She laughs. Eren proceeds to tickle her sides and she rolls around laughing, gasping for air.

While Eren and Annie are enjoying their time together on the beach, Armin and Mikasa slowly transport lumber to a section of the beach further down from the happy couple.

"This will certainly be an ambitious project." Mikasa says.

"Yes, but think of the implications! Humanity will finally reclaim land outside of the Walls!" Armin is clearly excited.

"I guess a village on the seaside is best. Limited avenues of approach. But 3DMG will be useless." Mikasa worries.

"That's what we have those two for." Armin points to the fools rolling around in the sand.

"Yes. They certainly are fearsome warriors." Mikasa teases.

"At times, yes." Armin defends the two from Mikasa's jest.

Eren takes off his shirt, scoops Annie up, and wades into the water. He lets her down, and begins swimming circles around her while she watches. She waits until the moment is right, then pounces on him. He grabs her, and they spin around, like otters frolicking, letting the water flow around them, gently caressing their skin. He holds her tight, and stares into her eyes like they're an oasis in a desert.

After a few hours of swimming around, they head back to the cabin, and get changed into regular clothes.

"That was fun!" Eren says as she falls down onto the bed.

"Yeah it was. Day one of the honeymoon is over. I can't wait for day two!" Annie grins, and lays right next to him.

"Yeah, but I can't shake the feeling that we're going to be roped into another task for the Corps pretty soon." Eren worries as he lays his head where Annie's arm meets her shoulder.

"It seems like we're always working for them alright, but we're making their lives easier, I guess, and I don't mind as long as I'm with you." Annie concedes.

"I'm glad you feel that way." Eren says, looking up at Annie. "Because here comes Armin now."

"Ughhhhhh... You jinxed us." Annie moans.

Eren gets up and walks to the door. He opens it before Armin knocks, surprising him a little.

"Hello, Armin." Eren tries to act cheerful.

It works on Armin, at least.

"Hey, Eren! How've you guys been?" Armin asks.

"We were pretty good." Eren is a little annoyed. Armin didn't catch the meaning behind his tone.

"That's good to hear. Listen, we have a favor to ask you."

"I'm sure you do."

"Is something wrong?" Armin finally notices that something is amiss. He's not very good at reading people, but he's very smart otherwise.

"No, no. We're fine. Go ahead." Eren dodges the question.

"Well, we're finally building a settlement outside of the Walls!" Armin cheers.

"That's good news. What does it have to do with us?" Eren asks.

"Well, it'll be out in the open, on the beach where the 3DMG won't work, so we'll need your help to guard it."

"Yeah, that's what I thought..." Eren groans to himself.

"That's exciting. We'd be glad to help." Eren once again tries to sound enthusiastic.

"Great! We just started construction, so we'll come back and get you once it's all done, ok?" Armin explains.

"Ok." Eren says, ready to go back to Annie.

"All right! You guys enjoy the rest of your honeymoon!" Armin shouts as he runs off to Mikasa.

"Well, at least we have some time left." Eren sighs as he walks back to bed.

"Yeah, at least it should be a fairly easy job, just kill a few titans, hang around the place." Annie comforts him.

"Yeah, I guess." Eren pouts.

"Hey, don't give me that face." Annie pushes Eren's mouth into a smile, and he grins on his own.

"I love you, Annie."

"I love you, too, Eren."


	66. Guard Duty

Eren wakes up as usual next to Annie, and moves in close to hug her. She stirs and pulls him in tighter.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Alright guys, we aren't gonna run you ragged, we just want one of you in titan form to guard us while these walls are being constructed." Armin gives them the rundown.

"I'll take this one." Annie says, as she pricks her finger with her ring. The lightning strikes the earth, and her titan form rises.

She tenderly scoops Eren up, and places him in her hair. He wraps his arm around a tussle, and gets comfortable.

"Hey, are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Eren shouts to Armin.

"No! This requires a level of finesse and architectural experience that you two just don't have! No offense!" Armin yells back.

"None taken!" Eren hangs in front of Annie's face, and says "Looks like we have an easy day ahead of us, huh?"

She kisses him, or as best one can when your lips are as big as your target, and lifts him back onto her head.

Eren gazes over to the mountains in the distance, their mysterious, sheltered slopes hiding a whole 'nother world.

"We'll have to go there some time." Eren decides. "There's nothing that can stop us, so we might as well explore."

Annie turns to see what Eren is talking about, she sees the mountains and gives Eren a thumbs up. Then she returns to her vigil. She gently places her hand on Eren, and takes off running towards the edge of the forest. Eren holds onto her hair tight as she delivers a punch right to a 10m titan's gut. It flies into a tree, and falls to the ground. She dispatches it with a stomp to the face.

She walks back to her spot in the camp and continues her guard.

Hours pass and the day seems to be wearing down. The sun has almost disappeared beyond the horizon, when something flashes in the corner of Annie's eye. A blur flies through the air and crashes in the middle of the construction zone. Eren looks upon the crumpled form lying on the ground.

"A... A titan?" Eren cannot believe that a titan just slammed into the settlement from out of nowhere. "Annie-"

But she was already on her way to take care of it.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Eren and Annie stay until every worker makes it back behind the walls. Then she takes him home, and he gets her out of her titan.

"What was that all about??" Annie asks.

"I have no idea! We'll have to keep an eye out if there's something throwing titans at us from the sea." Eren reasons. "But enough doom and gloom, this is a big step for us all, building outside of the Walls." Eren's eyes light up in thought of humanity's expansion.

"Well since you're so excited to help humanity, you get the next shift of babysitting." Annie teases.

"Fine by me." Eren agrees to take the next watch tomorrow. "This project should be done soon, so we won't have to guard them long."

"Besides" He adds, "We'll be able to get beachfront service now." He winks.

"*Sigh* Go to bed, Eren."


	67. Anomaly Identified

"Eren."

In what seems like dèjá vu, the two wake up to find Armin in their house, unexpectedly waking them up.

"Another titan landed in the camp, and it narrowly missed one of our cabins." Armin reports, concern easily detectable in his voice.

"Was it dead on impact like the last one?" Annie asks.

"Yeah, nevertheless, the workers are spooked, and refuse to work until they find out what's causing this." Armin makes his way to the point.

"That's where we come in, isn't it?" Eren groans.

"Yeah... Sorry guys, but you're able to handle it, I'll fill you in on the way."

Annie helps Eren out of bed, and they get dressed. They grab a loaf of bread from the pantry, and share it on the way.

"This titan didn't smack straight into the ground, it skidded along. And based on the angle of the tracks it left in the sand, I concluded that it was launched from the ocean." Armin informs them.

"So we have to go scour the ocean for a titan flinging monster?" Eren starts.

"That is probably well-suited to an underwater environment, while we can only shuffle along the floor?" Annie chimes in.

"I mean, you guys have fought worse, I'm sure of it." Armin is visibly nervous.

"Yeah, we did take down a giant flying dragon, Annie. I guess we can handle anything now." Eren encourages Annie to help.

"I guess..." She grumbles.

"Great!" Armin is ecstatic. "I'm sure you'll be able to wrap this up quickly." He cheers them on.

"Yeah, yeah." Annie sighs.

"You wanna split up, so we can cover more ground?" Eren floats the idea.

"Sounds good." The three reach the shell of the wall, once bustling, now silent. "See you on the other side." Annie winks and gives Eren a kiss.

They both shift, and enter the water about fifty yards apart from each other.

Everything is dark and murky. Fish are swimming around in abundant numbers, and plant life is flourishing on the sea floor. From coral reefs that Eren never dreamed of seeing when he and Armin were reading the books about the ocean all those years ago, to the seaweed tickling his feet.

Of course, the sharks are still there, but a well placed shove on one scares them off.

Annie finds herself walking into a trench. It's not too deep, thankfully, but it's a good 300 feet down from where she was.

"Well, nothing big enough to be a threat could fit down here, might as well see where it leads." She reasons.

Eren finds himself on a path much closer to the top of the water. In fact, he reaches several areas where he has to duck to keep looking underwater. He takes care not to step on any creatures, especially the spiky looking ones, and continues further away from the shore.

Annie delves further into the chasm.

"Wow, it got dark fast." Pretty soon, she finds that the only light available is that which comes from the creatures themselves. Whether it's the glowing blobs or the glowing tentacle plants.

She feels a pinching on her arm, and turns her head to face it. She pulls a snake-like creature off her arm, and pushes it away.

"Yeah, nothing big enough to hurt me. But I still wish Eren were here."

Eren feels something squishy right before he puts his foot down, and picks up an amorphous, red blob with a lot of arms. He brings it up to his face to take a closer look, but it shoots out a black substance. He quickly lets go to clear his eyes. When his vision comes back, he finds a huge, gray mass floating past him. He has only a second to act, and grabs on.

"Finally, a way back up!" Annie notices a gentle slope, leading out of the abyss. She hustles up, past the various creatures of the sea, and finds herself on a much-appreciated sandbar. But she isn't given much time to rest.

Eren is flying through the air, coming towards her, and flailing his limbs.

She quickly jumps and catches him, saving him from the brunt of the impact. They land in the ocean, and she carries him back to shore, so he can tell her what happened.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Nice catch." Eren chuckles as Annie tenderly removes him from his titan.

"Eren, what happened out there? Did you find it?" Annie is a little shaken that Eren had to face something so powerful alone.

"Yeah, I think I found the culprit, but I don't think it's an abnormal." Eren tells her.

"What do you mean?" Armin finally arrived. "Can you describe it?"

"Well, it was gray, it was huge, and it had a tail like a fish, but it was flat instead of going up and down." Eren describes the mystery monster.

"I think my books have something about this. Hold on." Armin runs off to grab his books.

"Alright." He returns. "It says right-"

"Hold on." Eren stops him. "Why do you have your books here?"

"Well, I plan on living here with Mikasa, so I brought my things over."

"Oh, okay, well, congratulations on the big move?" Eren is unsure what to say.

"Thank you, but look at this." Armin gets to the point.

"Hey, this is the very book we used to look at, way back when." Eren is surprised. "Did you keep this after all that time?"

"Of course I did, those were the happiest years of our lives, until now." Armin says. "But, anyway." He tries to not get too sentimental. "Is this what threw you?" Armin points to a picture in the book.

"Yeah, I think so. I grabbed on right there." He points to the tail.

"That explains how it threw you so far, along with the other titans. That," Armin concludes, "is a whale. It shouldn't be a threat to us. It was pure coincidence that it hit our camp twice in two days. I doubt it'll happen again."

"Well, we'll be taking our leave now." Annie flings Eren over her shoulders, having had enough excitement for one day. "I guess we'll come back for guard duty tomorrow since you'll be resuming construction, right?" Annie asks Armin.

"Uh, yeah! See you later!" He calls out.

"Annie?" Eren says. "I can walk, you know."

"Right, sorry." She puts him down. "I'm glad you're ok, Eren. Try not to scare me like that again."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to worry you." He tries to lighten the mood. "Hey, but at least you caught me!"

"Oh, whatever. You will not believe where I found myself while I was underwater." She starts to tell him.


	68. Him

"Urk"

Eren feels something heavy on his chest, and opens his eyes to find Annie laying on top of him.

"Good morning" She coos, and kisses him with her velvet lips. He brings his hand up to stroke her cheek, feeling that her skin is smooth as satin. His hand finds no interruption as it travels from her cheek to her chin.

"Good morning" He replies with a smile. "What are our plans for today?"

"Hmmm" She ponders this for a moment, as if she didn't know exactly what they were going to do beforehand. "How about absolutely nothing?" She grins and rolls off of Eren and lays on her side.

"Fine by me, I could use a little break." Eren turns on his side to face her.

"I say we stay in bed until at LEAST noon." Annie suggests.

"You might not have known this, but I am a champion when it comes to sleeping in." Eren boasts sarcastically.

"Well looks like you'll have to share that title today." She purrs.

"Fine by me." Eren smiles and wraps his arms around the middle of Annie's back and pulls her in close. She buries her head into his chest, feeling his muscles move out and in with each breath. Soft, yet firm at the same time. He feels his shirt flutter lightly each time she breathes through her nose. He can even feel the fabric move as it's hit by her eyelashes as she blinks. He begins to stroke her hair, feeling the heavy locks of golden silk flow through his fingers. She puts her hands on the small of his back, feeling the groove of his muscles with her fingers. She puts her ear up to his chest, and listens to his heart beating, while being grateful that that heart is hers as well.

She shifts up in the bed, so she and Eren are on the same level. He takes his arms and wraps them around her lower back, bringing his hands to rest on her shoulder blades. She rests her arms on his shoulders. He pulls her in tight.

"My turn" She says, as she begins to stroke his hair, feeling the feathery strands bend and roll under her hand. He looks her at her soft, lush lips, rosy pink in color, and he looks at her beautiful, rocky blue eyes. There's no place in the world he'd rather be.

"I love you" He kisses her softly. She pulls his face into her shoulder and begins petting the back of his head.

"I'll never get tired of doing this" She thinks as she plays with his soft, jet black locks. She moves her hands down to his upper back, and keeps them there. She feels his back rippling with each breath, like a mighty lion, ready to pounce. She pulls him back up to her level, and stares into his eyes. She touches his scar, a painful reminder from days long past.

A million thoughts race through her mind as she looks him in the eyes. Thoughts of how he makes her life worth living. How he makes the day begin. How he healed her broken soul. How he is the most perfect person in the world. How cute he looks when he's sleeping. How overjoyed she is to be married to him. How thankful she is to get to wake up next to him every morning. How he made her want to keep living. How she loves his smile. How she loves his face. How she loves his hair. How she loves...

 

Him


	69. Her

"Good morning, Annie. I brought you a treat."

She opens her eyes as she feels something light being placed on her legs. It's a tray with a plate full of food on it. There's buttered toast, eggs: sunny side up, hashbrowns, and a peach crepe. Next to the plate is a jar of flowers. It's filled with beautiful white-purple lilies.

"I've got a special day planned out for us. This is just the first part." Eren is energized today, more so than normal.

"Awww, this is so sweet!" Annie pulls Eren down to her face and plants a kiss on his lips. "I don't know how you can top breakfast in bed, but let's see what you got in mind, Titan Boy."

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, just you wait. Now finish your breakfast and we'll move on to part two."

"Where did you get this crepe? It's delicious!"

"I taught myself how to make it, there weren't TOO many horrible failures before I got it right."

"Wait, you taught yourself that this morning? What time did you wake up to get this ready?" Annie is surprised.

"About 2 A.M. I don't know, we don't have anyway to tell time out here. It was early though." Eren shrugs it off.

"WHAT?!? That's insane! It took you that long to teach yourself how to make crepes and to prepare this meal??" Annie is taken aback by this revelation.

"Well... That's not ALL I did. I had to make a stop at the city too."

"Well, I guess that explains it." Annie sighs, but is still touched that Eren went out of his way to plan a special day for her.

"Here, let me take those for you." He grabs her dishes and places them in the sink. He walks back into the bedroom. "Come with me" Eren offers his hand and smiles, "your next surprise awaits."

"I don't know how you could improve upon this bu-oh you did." Annie is stopped mid-sentence as she looks outside.

Two stallions stand tall, scratching the ground with their hooves. One is black as the cloudy midnight sky with a new moon, and another is nearly dazzling white, like freshly washed bed sheets.

"Take your pick, we're going for a ride." Eren waves his hand toward the horses, offering each to Annie. She hops on the black horse, and Eren quickly mounts the white one. "I've already got a great path picked out for us, c'mon." Eren leads the way.

They trot along a slightly worn path running through the forest. Birds begin chirping incessantly, but they create a beautiful symphony. A stream gurgles and babbles as it flows besides them. Eren has always loved little streams like this one. They put him at ease.

"It's a lovely day." Annie observes.

"Yeah, especially with the clouds blocking out the sun."

"I was just thinking the same thing!" She smiles.

"Alright, we've arrived at part three." Eren announces as the lake they've visited so many times comes into view. Eren jumps off his horse and jogs over to Annie's to help her off. She takes his hand and dismounts. Eren takes both horses and tethers them to a tree, so they won't run away. He grabs a bag that was hanging from the side of Annie's horse.

"Here you go. I bought this for you. I thought it would complement your skin tone pretty well." Eren hands her the bag, and Annie peeks inside.

It's a cute, one piece bathing suit, that's a cream white, with little frills on the side, where it falls on the hip.

"Oh, this IS cute! I love it!" Annie kisses his cheek. "Are we going to go swimming then?" She asks.

"If you want to, that was the plan." Eren says.

"Ok, I'm going to go over here to change." She points into the forest.

"I won't peek." Eren promises. "I'll get changed into mine over here."

A minute or two passes.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Eren yells as he runs into the water.

"Ok! Give me one second!" Annie calls back.

Eren swims out to the middle of the lake, when suddenly he finds himself being spun about through the water. As he recovers, he sees a large, shiny form sinking back down.

"Oh shit!" He shouts.

"What is it?!" Annie comes running out from the forest, having just finished changing.

"Remember that guy we put down here because he was interrupting our honeymoon?" Eren explains.

"Oh hell." Annie says. "How long has he been down there??"

"What's it been, two weeks?" Eren guesses. "How did he survive this long?"

"I have no idea. I suppose we need to get him out right?" Annie sighs.

"Yeah, let's shift separately this time, so we can have all his limbs under control."

"Smart."

They both shift into their titans then wade into the water. They spot him and continue further in. They both stand with a foot on a limb and push the boulder that was pinning him to the bottom off. They grab a limb in their hands as he starts thrashing, and they slowly make their way out of the lake. Once they get out, they begin walking him back to the city, roughing him up a bit to remind him to behave.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Hange, we've got some rather large visitors." Levi says from their bed, as he stares into Eren's big green eyes looking at them through the window.

"Oh! It's been too long since I've seen my two favorite titans!" She jumps up and runs outside to greet them. "Ah, so this is the one you told me about, hold on, I've been preparing for this. Don't you worry." She runs inside the barracks, and returns with a canister of 3DMG fuel and a match book.

"Alright, face down, on the ground if you please." She asks them. They place him down exactly as she specified. "Thanks, loves!" She stabs a hole in the canister, and gas starts shooting out. She then sticks a weird contraption into the hole. "This is very important." She looks at them. "If this wasn't here, you could say goodbye to the barracks." She then takes a match and strikes it. She brings the match to the leaking gas and it erupts into a stream of flames. She brings it down upon his neck with surgical precision and cuts a wide square with her makeshift blowtorch. Eren removes the metal cube, revealing the human on the inside.

"Levi! One for the prison!" Hange calls.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." Footsteps can be heard shuffling in the barracks as Levi makes his way outside. He starts dragging the limp form to the prison.

"Oh! And when you get there, he looks like he could really use some food!" She calls to him, then turns to speak to the two. "He better be glad he can regenerate. His stomach has been eating itself for about a week because there was nothing else in there. That's what I'm guessing allowed him to survive, that is. Thanks for bringing him to me! I'll let you get on with your lives now, but you have to come for dinner sometime!" She waves goodbye to them as they walk out of the city then run back to the lake.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Now, shall we go for a swim, finally?" Eren offers.

"I'd love to."

As Annie runs into the water, Eren feels emotion overcome him. There is nothing special about this moment, yet he still feels his love for her flowing incredibly strong at this one moment.

He loves her snow white skin, he loves her golden blonde hair, he loves the way she puts it into a bun, he loves how she makes him want to get up at 2 A.M to plan a special day for her, he loves that she loves him back, he loves that she said "Yes".

He loves...

Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is as far as I've made it in writing. I'm working on another chapter now, and also my Spin-Off, where Hange leads a squad of the Captured Titans.


End file.
